John McNicholas

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How to Construct a Major Scale: Waffle, Waffle, House, Waffle, Waffle, Waffle House.

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On a guitar a WHOLE STEP is 2 frets and a HALF STEP is 1 fret. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide to constructing a major scale:

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Choose Your Starting Note (Root):
   - This will be the first note of your scale. For example, let's use C as the starting note to construct a C major scale.

2. Apply the Major Scale Pattern:
   - The pattern for a major scale is: W, W, H, W, W, W, H.
   - This means you start at your root note, then follow this sequence of whole steps and half steps to determine the subsequent notes.

 

Example: C Major Scale

1. Start with the root note:
   - C

2. Follow the whole and half step pattern:
   - From C, a whole step (W) takes you to D.
   - From D, another whole step (W) takes you to E.
   - From E, a half step (H) takes you to F.
   - From F, a whole step (W) takes you to G.
   - From G, another whole step (W) takes you to A.
   - From A, another whole step (W) takes you to B.
   - From B, a half step (H) takes you back to C (an octave higher).

Thus, the C major scale is:
- C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

 

Tips for Remembering

- Whole step (W): Skip one key on the piano, whether black or white. For example, from C to D skips C#.
- Half step (H): Move to the very next key, whether black or white. For example, from E to F is a half step because there are no keys between them.

By applying this whole and half step pattern starting from any note, you can construct major scales in any key.