Build Major Scales on the Staff: Interactive Exercise

The name of a major scale appears. Your task is to draw its 8 notes on the staff from scratch: tonic, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and octave. Use the accidental buttons (♭ ♮ ♯) to add sharps or flats where they are needed.

How to use the exercise: Click (or drag) on the staff to place each note. First choose the accidental with the ♭ ♮ ♯ buttons if the note needs one. Undo removes the last note and Clear restarts the exercise. The notes are sorted automatically from low to high. The magnifier shows the note you are about to place.

The pattern of the major scale

All major scales follow the same pattern of intervals: W – W – H – W – W – W – H (whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step; UK: tone and semitone). Applying this pattern to any starting note gives the major scale on that note. The "Step" column shows the distance from the previous note.

Degree	Step	C major	G major	F major
1st	—	C	G	F
2nd	W	D	A	G
3rd	W	E	B	A
4th	H	F	C	B♭
5th	W	G	D	C
6th	W	A	E	D
7th	W	B	F♯	E
8th	H	C	G	F

Tricks for remembering the scales

The circle of fifths is the most useful tool. Each sharp-side scale has one more ♯ than the previous one (C → G → D → A → E → B → F♯ → C♯) and each flat-side scale has one more ♭ (C → F → B♭ → E♭ → A♭ → D♭ → G♭ → C♭). If you know the key signature, finding the altered notes is immediate.

To lock these scales into your fingers, practice them with the online metronome at 60-70% of your target tempo, raising it by 5 BPM each time you play three repetitions without mistakes. The online tuner lets you check your tuning before you start.

Printable worksheet (PDF)

The same exercise on paper, for class: eight natural major scales to write without a key signature, with each accidental before its note. With a separate answer sheet, with the answers in red.

It goes from easier to harder: first key signatures with few accidentals in treble clef, then more accidentals and the bass clef.

Printable PDF worksheet for writing natural major scales — A4 sheet for writing natural major scales.

Download the worksheet (PDF A4) Answers

You may print and photocopy the worksheets freely for the classroom. There are also worksheets of this same type for identifying and writing with a key signature, and in the scales index you can create custom worksheets, mixing whichever types you like.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you build a major scale on the staff?

Write the tonic on the staff and apply the pattern W-W-H-W-W-W-H going up. A whole step is 2 half steps and a half step is 1, so add a sharp or a flat to a note whenever the natural note gives the wrong distance. End on the octave of the tonic.

How do I know which accidentals a major scale needs?

Apply the pattern and compare it with the natural notes. If the pattern needs 2 half steps but the natural notes give only 1, add a sharp. If the natural notes give 2 but the pattern needs 1, add a flat. The result must use all 7 letter names exactly once.

When do I use sharps and when flats in a major scale?

The scales that go up the circle of fifths (G, D, A, E, B, F♯, C♯) use sharps. The ones that go down (F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭) use flats. Sharps and flats are never mixed in the same major scale.

What is the most common mistake when building scales?

Using the same letter name twice (for example F and F♯ in the same scale), which means the construction is wrong. A major scale has seven different letter names (C, D, E, F, G, A, B), each with the accidental it needs, and none repeated.

How can I check a major scale I built?

Count the half steps between each pair of consecutive notes and compare them with the pattern 2-2-1-2-2-2-1. If every interval matches, the scale is correct. You can also check that the key signature matches the key on the circle of fifths.