The All-Important Major Scale
The major scale is the fundamental scale of Western music. Every scale and music theory concept is spoken about in terms of its relationship to the major scale. Often the major scale isn’t given its full due, but it really is the key to unlocking all of the secrets of the fretboard and musical harmony.
The D major scale is composed of seven notes: D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#. In the key of D major these notes, expressed in numbers, are 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. Using numbers instead of letters will speed up the process of learning music theory concepts and being able to apply them to all 12 keys, because it universalizes the concept of a major scale. The D major scale’s note name arrangement is particular to the D major scale, but the concept of a major scale is universal to all keys. All major scales are composed of seven notes. Those notes, regardless of which key we’re in, are referred to as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
Intervals
The numbers of the major scale are: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. These numbers are separated by intervals. We can define an interval as the distance between two notes. In Western harmony, the half step is the smallest interval; on the guitar a half step is the distance of one fret on the same string. A whole step is a distance of two frets on the same string.
Intervals can be talked about in two ways: by the number of half steps they contain, and by their proper names. The interval of a half step is also known as a minor second. The interval of a whole step is known as a major second. The interval distance between two neighboring notes of the major scale is never more than a whole step. We will go further into detail on intervals in another article. For now, all we need to focus on are half steps and whole steps.
Major Scale Formula
In the key of D major, the note D is the root note of the scale. The second note, a whole step above, is the E. Continuing on until we get to the D an octave higher, we get the formula in the diagram below. The intervals of the major scale are: Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Whole-Half (W-W-H-W-W-W-H). Knowing this formula will open up a lot of doors for us going forward, including the ability to find and form any chord we want, and the being able to truly improvise on the guitar.
Minor Scale Formula
To put this D major scale into context, let’s quickly look at the D minor scale. The minor scale degrees are referred to in relation to the major scale. So instead of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, the natural minor scale is 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7. The difference between the 3 of the D major scale and the b3 of the D minor scale is half a step. A b3 is a half step lower than a natural 3. In this way, the minor scale is understood by its relation to the major scale.
Minor Blues Scale
In fact, every scale is understood in terms of its relationship to its parent major scale. For example, the D minor blues scale is 1-b3-4-b5-5-b7. The b3 is in relation to the natural 3 of the D major scale. The b5 is in relation to the natural 5 of the D major scale. This is a universal concept, not just true of scales in D, but scales in every key. So when you know the intervals of the major scale, you can quickly understand the intervals of all other scales by their relationship to their corresponding major scale. This approach is very logical and I found it crucial to building my knowledge of music theory and applying it to the guitar.
When we look at all other scales in the ways they differ from the major scale we see everything as relative. Instead of thinking of scales as islands floating in a vast ocean, everything becomes one interconnected body of water. Scales stop being isolated patterns of notes and become variations on a theme.
Implement This Concept Into Your Playing
In future lessons, we’ll continue to unlock the potential of guitar by gaining an understanding of foundational music theory concepts. In the meantime, it’s always important to put these theoretical concepts into practice. You can work the major scale into your playing in several ways. One exercise I always enjoy is to play the low D string and have it ring out like a drone note, and play individual notes of the scale as the 6th string rings out. This not only allows you to practice the scale across each string, but also trains your ear to recognize each note of the scale as it relates to the tonic note, D. The great thing about this exercise is that you can do it with all three scales mentioned here (major, minor, minor blues), and come to understand the similarities and differences between the scales.
If you enjoyed this lesson and want to take your playing further, check out the 3+ hour video course Mastering Open D Tuning.
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