Major scale

A seven-note scale with a bright sound, the foundation of Western music.

The major scale is a sequence of seven notes separated by a specific pattern of intervals: tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its sound is generally perceived as bright, joyful, stable. The C major scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C) uses only natural notes, which makes it the traditional starting point for learning. All other major scales follow the same interval structure transposed to a different starting note.