A major scale on 6-string bass

A · B · C♯ · D · E · F♯ · G♯

The course explains what this page shows in Lesson 15 · One position.

The notes

  1. A1
  2. B2
  3. C♯3
  4. D4
  5. E5
  6. F♯6
  7. G♯7

The A major scale is A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯.

You may also see it called Ionian.

On the staff

ABC♯DEF♯G♯A

On a bass staff, the A major scale is written A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯.

This is one octave of the A major scale, written on the bass clef. Guitar and bass music is written an octave higher than it sounds, and the small 8 under the clef is the sign for that.

Why the A major scale has these sharps

  1. A1
  2. T
  3. B2
  4. T
  5. C♯3
  6. S
  7. D4
  8. T
  9. E5
  10. T
  11. F♯6
  12. T
  13. G♯7
  14. S
  15. A8

A scale is a pattern of steps, and this one is T T S T T T S: a tone, a tone, a semitone, and so on. S stands for a semitone, the distance of one fret or one key. T stands for a tone, which is two semitones. The pattern is what gives A major its sound, and it stays the same whichever note you start on.

The second rule is that a seven-note scale uses each letter name once, from A to G, so its seven notes take seven different letters. That is why A major is spelled the way it is, rather than with whichever accidental looks tidier.

Together, the two rules leave no room for choice. If you walk the pattern up from A, three letters cannot keep up:

  • C♯ — the third. The pattern needs a tone from B, but B to C is only a semitone, so C has to rise to C♯.
  • F♯ — the sixth. The pattern needs a tone from E, but E to F is only a semitone, so F has to rise to F♯.
  • G♯ — the seventh. The pattern needs a tone from F♯, but F♯ to G is only a semitone, so G has to rise to G♯.

None of those accidentals was a choice. Once you pick the note to start on, the pattern decides the rest, and a key signature is a record of the result.

The A major scale is written with C♯, F♯ and G♯, because the T T S T T T S pattern of steps cannot be spelled with plain letters from A.

The pattern of steps is the part of a scale that never changes. The letter names take sharps or flats to fit that pattern, and a key signature is a record of those sharps or flats.

On the piano

C4D5EFG1A2BC4D5EFG1A2BC4D5EFG1A2BC4D5EFG1A2BC4D5EFG1A2BC3C♯D♯6F♯7G♯A♯3C♯D♯6F♯7G♯A♯3C♯D♯6F♯7G♯A♯3C♯D♯6F♯7G♯A♯3C♯D♯6F♯7G♯A♯C0C1C2C3C4C5

The keyboard shows the same seven notes as a shape you can see. The coloured keys are the A major scale, and you can click any key to hear it.

A major scale on the whole neck

BEADGC123456789101112131415B2C♯3D4E5F♯6G♯7A1B2C♯3D4E5F♯6G♯7A1B2C♯3D4E5F♯6A1B2C♯3D4E5F♯6G♯7A1B2D4E5F♯6G♯7A1B2C♯3D4E5G♯7A1B2C♯3D4E5F♯6G♯7A1C♯3D4E5F♯6G♯7A1B2C♯3D4

88 notes of the A major scale are marked across six strings.

This is every place the notes of the A major scale fall on the 6-string bass, with each note's name and its scale degree. The roots are marked so you can find your bearings.

Position by position

Position 1 — starts on the 3
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Position 2 — starts on the 4
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Position 3 — starts on the 5
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Position 4 — starts on the 6
BEADGC789101112671234567123456712
Position 5 — starts on the 7
BEADGC91011121314712345671234567123
Position 6 — starts on the 1
BEADGC101112131415123456712345671234
Position 7 — starts on the 2
BEADGC121314151617234567123456712345

The A major scale has seven playable positions, at frets 2–6, 3–7, 5–9, 7–11, 9–13, 10–14 and 12–16.

Each shape starts on a different degree of the scale and fits inside five frets, so your hand can play all of it without moving.

One climb up the neck

BEADGC10111213141516171819202122232412345671234567123456712TAB1012141512141617141617191618192118192123202123

The climb runs from fret 10 to fret 23 and plays 23 notes.

This is one path from the lowest root to the top of the neck, and it plays each note once, never on two strings. It takes a different number of notes on different strings. The widest stretch on any one string is five frets.