SCALE REFERENCE

E Major

E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯ – D♯1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The reference scale of Western music — bright, resolved, and the yardstick every other scale is described against.

Notes & degrees
E1F♯2G♯3A4B5C♯6D♯7
NotesE, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#
StepsW – W – H – W – W – W – H (W = whole, H = half)
Also calledIonian
Piano
EABF♯G♯C♯D♯
Guitar & ukulele — every position (frets 0–12)
357912eEF♯G♯ABC♯D♯EBBC♯D♯EF♯G♯ABGG♯ABC♯D♯EF♯DD♯EF♯G♯ABC♯AABC♯D♯EF♯G♯AEEF♯G♯ABC♯D♯E

Root notes are red. The full map of the scale on the guitar neck; the common box patterns are groups of these notes.

357912AABC♯D♯EF♯G♯AEEF♯G♯ABC♯D♯ECC♯D♯EF♯G♯ABGG♯ABC♯D♯EF♯

The same scale on a ukulele in standard G–C–E–A tuning.

Chords in the key
DegreeTriad7th chord
IEEmaj7
iiF♯mF♯m7
iiiG♯mG♯m7
IVAAmaj7
VBB7
viC♯mC♯m7
vii°D♯dimD♯m7♭5

These are the chords built by stacking scale notes in thirds. Click through for each chord's own diagrams:

IEiiF♯miiiG♯mIVAVBviC♯mvii°D♯dim
Common progressions in E major

I – V – vi – IV

E – B – C♯m – A

I – IV – V

E – A – B

ii – V – I

F♯m – B – E

vi – IV – I – V

C♯m – A – E – B

Hear these and thousands of real songs that use them in the Song Chords Database and the progressions reference.

Related keys
Relative minorC♯ minorParallel minorE minor
Other scales on E

Core scales & modes

E Natural MinorE Harmonic MinorE Melodic MinorE DorianE PhrygianE LydianE MixolydianE Locrian

Pentatonic & blues

E Major PentatonicE Minor PentatonicE BluesE Major Blues

Jazz & altered

E Harmonic MajorE Phrygian DominantE Lydian DominantE AlteredE Bebop Dominant

Symmetric

E Whole ToneE Diminished (Whole–Half)E Diminished (Half–Whole)E Augmented Scale

World & exotic

E Hungarian MinorE Double Harmonic MajorE Neapolitan Minor
Major on another root
CC♯D♭DE♭EFF♯G♭GA♭AB♭B
Keep exploring

See the diatonic chords with audio in the Scale & Chord Finder, find where a key sits among the others on the Circle of Fifths, or start the free Cloud Atelier music guides.