Root note
Mode
Chord tone Scale tone
C major
Staff in C · no accidentals
Root note
Mode
C major
no accidentals · Relative: A minor
Notes of the scale
Diatonic chords
Related keys (neighbors in the circle of fifths)
Relative key
Key (Major)
Select degree
C major · I degree
Tonic · Ionian
Chord tones (triad)
Chord name
Harmonic function
Typical cadences with this degree
Capo fret
Fret0
No capo — chords sound as written.

Fret 0 · no capo

All fretted chords sound as written.

Fingered asSounds as

Circle of Fifths Auto — the full app

Scales with staff notation & speaker, interval visualization, tuner, metronome, Chord Ring and more — free for Android.

▶ Download now

All 14 Major Scales

Staff, Notes & Character

Each scale with staff preview and all notes. Click the play button to listen.


Music Theory

Understanding Scales & Circle of Fifths

The pattern behind every major scale, and why the circle of fifths is the most important tool in harmony theory.

The Universal Major Pattern

All 14 major scales follow exactly the same sequence of whole (W) and half (H) steps — no matter which root note you start on:

W W H W W W H

The half steps always lie between degrees 3–4 and 7–8. This pattern produces the typical bright, stable major sound. If you start the pattern on G instead of C, you inevitably get an F♯ — otherwise the half step wouldn't fall in the right place. Each new fifth degree adds exactly one accidental.

Chord tones vs. Scale tones

In the app (and in the staff notation above) chord tones (root, third, fifth — degrees 1, 3, 5) are highlighted in gold, while scale tones appear in white. The triad on the I degree — the tonic — is the harmonic foundation of every key.

All 14 Scales at a Glance

KeySignatureNotesRelative