Here is an easy system to learn all your major scales which is crucial if you want to understand music theory. I will assume that you already know that the music alphabet in English consists of the letters: A – B – C – D – E – F and G.  These letters are sometimes combined  with  “sharps” and “flats” which we will also discuss . However before we begin, in case you aren’t familiar with the formula for a major scale, here is the succession of whole and half steps that constitute its make up:

1 <whole>2<whole>3<half>4<whole> 5 <whole> 6 <whole> 7

The above formula if starting with the note C would yield the C major scale:

C <whole> D <whole> E <half> F <whole> G <whole> A <whole> B

Next we are going to learn that every major scale with the exception of C major, consists of notes that are either a combination of:

a) naturals and sharps or  b) naturals and flats.

Using “sharps”

When starting with the note D, if we just follow the prescribed alphabetical sequence without any alterations, we end up with a scale that does not conform to the given formula. This is where we must employ “sharps “ (#). The sharp when placed in front of a given note, raises it a half step. Let’s see how this comes into play when constructing the D major scale:

D <whole> E <whole> F# <half> G <whole> A <whole> B <whole> C#

If  in the above example we had not raised the F to F#, we would have an unwanted half step between E and F.  In that case the result would have been a minor scale.

Using “flats” 

Next let’s examine a scale that requires the use of a “flat” (b). The flat does the opposite of a sharp, therefore when placed in front of a given note it lowers it a half step. Notice how the flat becomes a required alteration when building the F scale:

F <whole> G <whole> A <half> Bb <whole> C <whole> D <whole> E

If  in the above example we had not lowered the B to Bb, we would have an unwanted whole step between A and B.  In that case the result would have been what is known as a lydian scale.

A SYSTEM TO EASILY MEMORIZE EVERY MAJOR SCALE

Now that we are familiar with the use of sharps and flats when constructing a major scale, let’s learn a shortcut to memorize every major scale. It would clearly be a tedious task if every time we want to construct a scale we would have to figure out the whole/half step sequence between the notes. We need to have that information stored in our long term memory and available to us without any major cognitive effort in order to play and understand music. Therefore here is a procedure to minimize the thought process in recalling each scale…

For each major scale, memorize the altered notes (sharps or flats) only if they constitute the majority. If this is not the case, then memorize the naturals. For example, in the case of B major you would memorize that B and E are natural and that the rest are sharp. Next, simply recite the music alphabet starting with B and make every note “sharp” except of course B and E, the naturals:

B – C# -D# – E – F# – G# – A#

Memorizing just B and E for the above,  is much easier than having to memorize C#, D#, F# , G# and A#!

To aid you in this process, here is a list of commonly used major scales and what to memorize:

C MAJOR: All natural — C D E F G A B

Major Scales Using Sharps:

D MAJOR: memorize F# and C# , the rest are natural — D E F# G A B C#

E MAJOR: memorize F#, C# and D# , the rest are natural — E F# G# A B C# D#

G MAJOR: memorize F# , the rest are natural — G A B C D E F#

A MAJOR: memorize C#, F#, G# , the rest are natural — A B C# D# E F# G#

B MAJOR: memorize B and E , the rest are sharp — B C# D# A F# G# A#

C# MAJOR: all are sharp — C# D# E# F# G# A# B#

F# MAJOR: memorize B, the rest are sharp — F# G# A# B C# D# E#

Major Scales Using Flats:

F MAJOR: memorize Bb, the rest are natural — F G A Bb C D E

Bb MAJOR: memorize Bb and Eb, the rest are natural — Bb C D Eb F G A

Eb MAJOR: memorize Eb ,Ab and Bb, the rest are natural — Eb F G Ab Bb C D

Ab MAJOR: memorize C , F and G, the rest are flat — Ab Bb C Db Eb F G

Db MAJOR: memorize C and F, the rest are flat — Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C

Gb MAJOR: memorize F, the rest are flat — Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F

Richie Zellon’s  experience as music educator includes several years as professor of jazz guitar at both the University Of South Florida in Tampa and Florida International University in Miami. During the early nineties he was director of The Music Workshop in Orlando as well as a member of the faculty at the Audio Recording Technology Institute. He has been a featured columnist for Jazz Improv magazine from 1999 to 2008. Richie is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and has also received private instruction from Pat Martino, Red Rodney and Charles Banacos.  He has recorded/performed with David Leibman, Jerry Bergonzi, Sam Rivers, Paquito D’ Rivera, Danilo Perez, Alex Acuna and many more.. For more info visit www.richiezellon.com