The staff shows the 8 notes of a major scale, and your task is to recognize which one it is. Scales appear in two ways: with a key signature at the start of the staff, or with the accidentals written note by note, so you practice both ways of reading. On easy you choose from 4 options; on hard you first pick the root note and then its accidental.
Tip: The key is the tonic (the first and last notes) and the accidentals. With a key signature, counting the sharps or flats tells you the key through the circle of fifths. With loose accidentals, just spot the altered scale degrees directly.
The 15 major scales
In Western music there are 15 major scales: 7 with sharps, 7 with flats, and C major (no accidentals). They all follow the same pattern of whole steps (UK: tones) and half steps (UK: semitones): W-W-H-W-W-W-H (whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half).
Scales with sharps (♯)
They are built by moving up the circle of fifths: G major (1♯), D major (2♯), A major (3♯), E major (4♯), B major (5♯), F♯ major (6♯) and C♯ major (7♯). Each new key adds one sharp to the previous one.
Scales with flats (♭)
They are built by moving down in fifths: F major (1♭), B♭ major (2♭), E♭ major (3♭), A♭ major (4♭), D♭ major (5♭), G♭ major (6♭) and C♭ major (7♭). Each key adds one flat to the key signature.
How to read a scale on the staff
When the scale appears with a key signature, the accidentals are written once at the start of the staff and apply to every note of that letter throughout the piece. When it appears with loose accidentals, each altered note carries its own symbol in front of it. Both spellings are equally valid, and reading them fluently is essential.
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 written on one side of an A4 sheet, half with a key signature and half with the accidentals before each note. The name of each scale is written below it. 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.
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 writing and writing with a key signature, and in the scales index you can create custom worksheets, mixing whichever types you like.