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Major Scales

F Flat Major Scale Positions On The Guitar Fretboard

In this post we are going to look at the F Flat Major Scale and how to play it in all positions along the guitar fretboard.

Fb major is enharmonically the same as E Major. It is a very rarely used key and almost not worth paying attention to. It has been included for the sake of being thorough and because it has relevance to certain modes and can be a useful reference point. For example, Gb Dorian is technically a mode of Fb Major.

The F flat major scale contains 6 flats (b) and 1 double flat (bb):

Fb – Gb – Ab – Bbb – Cb – Db – Eb

As I mentioned, Fb major is the same as E Major . I would suggest focusing on E major for now, if you are still trying to get your head around major scales. Otherwise, if you want to get right into it, have a lot at the positions below.

Let’s look at the Fb major scale in the different positions on the guitar fretboard:

Firstly, let’s look at the open position:

Now, let’s look at Fb major in the 4th position (the lowest fret is fret 4):

Now, let’s look at Fb major in the 5th position (the lowest fret is fret 5):

Now, let’s look at Fb major in the 8th position (the lowest fret is fret 8):

Now, let’s look at Fb major in the 11th position (the lowest fret is fret 11):

Finally, let’s look at Fb major in the 12th position (the lowest fret is fret 12):

That covers the 5 basic positions and the open position of Fb major along the guitar fretboard.

For more information on major scales check out the post a complete guide to major scales on the guitar.

E Sharp Major Scale Positions On The Guitar Fretboard

In this post we are going to look at the E Sharp Major Scale and how to play it in all positions along the guitar fretboard.

E# major is enharmonically the same as F Major. It is a very rarely used key and almost not worth paying attention to. It has been included for the sake of being thorough and because it has relevance to certain modes and can be a useful reference point. For example, A# Lydian is technically a mode of E# Major.

The E sharp major scale contains 3 sharps (#) and 4 double sharps (x):

E# – Fx – Gx – A# – B# – Cx – Dx

As I mentioned, E# major is the same as F Major. I would suggest focusing on F major for now, if you are still trying to get your head around major scales. Otherwise, if you want to get right into it, have a lot at the positions below.

Let’s look at the E# major scale in the different positions on the guitar fretboard:

Firstly, let’s look at the open position:

Now, let’s look at E# major in the 1st position (the lowest fret is fret 1):

Now, let’s look at E# major in the 5th position (the lowest fret is fret 5):

Now, let’s look at E# major in the 6th position (the lowest fret is fret 6):

Now, let’s look at E# major in the 9th position (the lowest fret is fret 9):

Finally, let’s look at E# major in the 12th position (the lowest fret is fret 12):

That covers the 5 basic positions and the open position of E# major along the guitar fretboard.

For more information on major scales check out the post a complete guide to major scales on the guitar.

C Flat Major Scale Positions On The Guitar Fretboard

In this post we are going to look at the C Flat Major Scale and how to play it in all positions along the guitar fretboard.

Cb major is enharmonically the same as B Major. It is a very rarely used key and almost not worth paying attention to. It has been included for the sake of being thorough and because it has relevance to certain modes and can be a useful reference point. For example, Db Dorian is technically a mode of Cb Major.

The Cb major scale contains 7 flats:

Cb – Db – Eb – Fb – Gb – Ab – Bb

As I mentioned, Cb major is the same as B Major. I would suggest focusing on B major for now, if you are still trying to get your head around major scales. Otherwise, if you want to get right into it, have a lot at the positions below.

Let’s look at the Cb major scale in the different positions on the guitar fretboard:

Firstly, let’s look at the open position:

Now, let’s look at Cb major in the 3rd position (the lowest fret is fret 3):

Now, let’s look at Cb major in the 6th position (the lowest fret is fret 6):

Now, let’s look at Cb major in the 7th position (the lowest fret is fret 7):

Now, let’s look at Cb major in the 11th position (the lowest fret is fret 11):

Finally, let’s look at Cb major in the 12th position (the lowest fret is fret 12):

That covers the 5 basic positions and the open position of Cb major along the guitar fretboard.

For more information on major scales check out the post a complete guide to major scales on the guitar.

B Sharp Major Scale Positions On The Guitar Fretboard

In this article we are going to look at the B Sharp Major Scale and how to play it in all positions along the guitar fretboard.

B# major is enharmonically the same as C major. It is a very rarely used key and almost not worth paying attention to. It has been included for the sake of being thorough and because it has relevance to certain modes and can be a useful reference point. For example, A# Locrean is technically a mode of B# Major.

The B sharp major scale contains 2 sharps (#) and 5 double sharps (x):

B# – Cx – Dx – E# – Fx – Gx – Ax

As I mentioned, B# major is the same as C major. I would suggest focusing on C major for now, if you are still trying to get your head around major scales. Otherwise, if you want to get right into it, have a lot at the positions below.

Let’s look at the B# major scale in the different positions on the guitar fretboard:

Firstly, let’s look at the open position:

Now, let’s look at B# major in the 1st position (the lowest fret is fret 1):

Now, let’s look at B# major in the 4th position (the lowest fret is fret 4):

Now, let’s look at B# major in the 7th position (the lowest fret is fret 7):

Now, let’s look at B# major in the 8th position (the lowest fret is fret 8):

Finally, let’s look at B# major in the 12th position (the lowest fret is fret 12):

That covers the 5 basic positions and the open position of B# major along the guitar fretboard.

For more information on major scales check out the post a complete guide to major scales on the guitar.

A Complete Guide To Major Scales On The Guitar

Major scales are one of the most fundamental tools, both from a practical and theoretical perspective on the guitar. From a technical point of view, being able to play every major scale in any position on the guitar gives you great access and control over the fretboard.

From a theoretical point of view, major scales are the cornerstone for much theory relating to soloing, composition, chord construction and the formation of other scales. When you construct chords, you are actually using the notes from a major scale to do so. For example, to play an F major chord, you need to use the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes (F, A, C) of an F major scale. Even the construction of minor chords and altered chords uses major scales as its basis. For example, a Gmin7b5 chord uses the altered notes of a G major scale – 1, b3, b5, b7 (G, Bb, Db, F).

Modes and scales are also constructed using major scales as the foundation. When you play a Dorian scale, you are effectively playing a major scale with a flat 3rd and flat 7th. Obviously, understanding and mastering the major scale is therefor the first step in mastering the Dorian scale.

I have tried to comprehensively provide a complete guide to major scales.

If you are totally new to major scales and the theory involved, you should check out the post about understanding major scales on the guitar.

Once you have an idea of what major scales are, it’s important to know how to use the movable shapes to play major scales along the fretboard in any key. The post playing major scales in every position will explain how to do this.

To be thourough, I have included an individual guide to major scales in every key. Once you understand how major scales work, you should be able to figure out how to play them in any given key. However, the following list provides a specific guide to each individual key, which should provide extra insight.

I have divided the keys into two categories: Common major scales and secondary major scales. The Common major scales are the scales that are used most of the time whereas the secondary major scales contain the keys that are used less often.

Common Major Scales:

A Major Scale
Bb Major Scale
B Major Scale
C Major Scale
Db Major Scale
D Major Scale
Eb Major Scale
E major Scale
F Major Scale
F# Major Scale
Gb Major Scale (enharmonically the same as F# Major)
G Major Scale
Ab Major Scale

Secondary Major Scales:

A# Major Scale (enharmonically the same as Bb Major)
C# Major Scale (enharmonically the same as Db Major)
D# Major Scale (enharmonically the same as Eb Major)
G# Major Scale (enharmonically the same as Ab Major)

Very Rarely Used Major Scales:

B# Major Scale (enharmonically the same as C Major)
E# Major Scale (enharmonically the same as F Major)
Cb Major Scale (enharmonically the same as B Major)
Fb Major Scale (enharmonically the same as E Major)

Just to clarify, each position of every scale has been notated in both standard notation and tablature along with a diagram of the given position. The way I recommend practicing scales (this is how I have notated them) is to start from the lowest root note in the chosen position, ascend to the highest note possible in that position (regardless of whether or not it is the root note) then descend to the lowest possible note in that position (again, regardless of whether or not it is the root note) and finally ascend back to the starting note. If this seems confusing, just follow the given notation and it should make sense just by example.

As I mentioned, mastering major scales is one of the most important things you can do. Get familiar with the theory behind it and then start practicing in different keys. It is important to be able to pick a certain key and then play the 5 different positions (plus the open position) of that key. So constantly test yourself. For example, pick the key of Ab, play it in the open position and then play through the 5 positions in an orderly manner, just as demonstrated in the post on Ab major. Another good approach is to pick 1 position and then try to play through every key in that 1 position. So for example, start in the 5th position and play Bb major, then play Eb major, then Ab major and so on. Sometimes you might have to move up or down 1 fret but you should generally be able to go through all the different keys by staying in the one position. Using the cycle of 4ths is a great tool for moving through every key.

Once you really start to get the hang of your major scales, test yourself by improvising, composing melodies inside the scale and using patterns to play through the scales.

It takes time to master the different shapes and positions in every key but it is well worth practicing every day. Remember, mastering major scales is one of the most important things you can do on the guitar!

F Sharp Major Scale Positions On The Guitar Fretboard

In this post we will look at the F Sharp Major Scale and how to play it in all positions on the guitar.

F Sharp Major has 6 sharps. The notes in the scale are:

F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D# – E#.

F sharp major and G flat major are really the same key, so it is handy to be able to relate to the same scale by using the two different names.

Let’s look at the F sharp major scale in the open position:

Now let’s look at the 5 positions across the fretboard:

The first one is in the 1st position (the lowest fret is fret 1)

The first one is in the 2nd position (the lowest fret is fret 2)

The first one is in the 6th position (the lowest fret is fret 6)

The first one is in the 7th position (the lowest fret is fret 7)

The first one is in the 10th position (the lowest fret is fret 10)

So there we are. All the positions along the fretboard for the G# Major Scale.

For more information on major scales check out the post a complete guide to major scales on the guitar.

G Flat Major Scale Positions On The Guitar Fretboard

In this post we will look at the G Flat Major Scale and all of its positions along the guitar fretboard.

The G flat major scale contains 6 flats. The 7 notes in the G flat major scale are:

Gb – Ab – Bb – Cb – Db – Eb – F

The key of Gb major is the furtherest away from C major on the cycle of 4ths, so it has the perception of being a hard key to learn.

Let’s look at playing the G flat major scale in the open position. There is only one note (B) that can be played on an open string, but it’s worth playing anyway:

The first one is in the 1st position (the lowest fret is fret 1)

The next one is in the 2nd position (the lowest fret is fret 2)

The first one is in the 6th position (the lowest fret is fret 6)

The first one is in the 7th position (the lowest fret is fret 7)

The first one is in the 10th position (the lowest fret is fret 10)

So there we have it. All the positions along the fretboard for the Gb major scale!

For more information on major scales check out the post a complete guide to major scales on the guitar.

D Sharp Major Scale Positions On The Guitar Fretboard

In this article we will look at the D Sharp Major Scale and how to play it in different positions on the guitar fretboard.

The D Sharp major scale contains 5 sharps and 2 double sharps. A double sharp is notated with an “x” symbol. The 7 notes are as follows:

D# – E# – Fx – G# – A# – B# – Cx

D sharp and E flat are actually the same. The E flat major scale only has 3 flats. Because of this, it is easier to work with than D sharp. I would recommend skipping this article and focusing on E flat if you are still getting used to major scales. However, if you think you are ready to tackle something a bit more challenging, continue reading.

Let’s firstly look at D Sharp Major in the open position:

Now let’s look at the 5 positions across the fretboard:

The first one is in the 3rd position (the lowest fret is fret 3)

The next one is in the 4th position (the lowest fret is 4)

The next one is in the 7th position (the lowest fret is 7)

The next one is in the 10th position (the lowest fret is 10)

The last one is in the 11th position (the lowest fret is 11)

So there we have it. All the positions of D# major along the guitar neck!

For more information on major scales check out the post a complete guide to major scales on the guitar.

E Flat Major Scale Positions On The Guitar Fretboard

In this article we are going to look at the E Flat Major Scale and how to play it along the guitar fretboard.

The E flat major scale contains three flats:

Eb – Ab – Bb

The seven notes in the E flat major scale are:

Eb – F – G – Ab – Bb – C – D

Let’s look at E Flat major in the open position:

The first one is in the 3rd position (the lowest fret is fret 3)

The next one is in the 4th position (the lowest fret is fret 4)

The next one is in the 7th position (the lowest fret is fret 7)

The last one is in the 10th position (the lowest fret is fret 10)

The next one is in the 11th position (the lowest fret is fret 11)

So there we have it. All the positions along the guitar for Eb major.

For more information on major scales check out the post a complete guide to major scales on the guitar.

C Sharp Major Scale Positions On The Guitar Fretboard

In this article we are going to look at the C Sharp Major Scale and how to play it in all positions along the guitar fretboard.

The C sharp major scale contains 7 sharps. Yes, that’s right, 7 sharps. The are:

C# – D# – E# – F# – G# – A# – B#

Obviously, the above gives us the entire 7 notes contained in the scale. C sharp is the same as D flat and the key of D flat is used or referred to a lot more than C sharp. I would suggest focusing on D flat for now, if you are still trying to get your head around major scales. Otherwise, if you want to get right into it, have a lot at the positions below.

Just like D flat, there is no open position for the C sharp major scale. This is because the C# major scale contains no notes that can be played on an open string (assuming that the guitar is tuned normally of course). Therefor, we will look only at the five movable positions, in the key of C sharp.

The first one is in the 1st position (the lowest fret is fret 1)