E major scale on ukulele

E · F♯ · G♯ · A · B · C♯ · D♯

The course explains what this page shows in Lesson 9 · One position.

The notes

  1. E1
  2. F♯2
  3. G♯3
  4. A4
  5. B5
  6. C♯6
  7. D♯7

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

You may also see it called Ionian.

On the staff

EF♯G♯ABC♯D♯E

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

This is one octave of the E major scale, written on the treble 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 E major scale has these sharps

  1. E1
  2. T
  3. F♯2
  4. T
  5. G♯3
  6. S
  7. A4
  8. T
  9. B5
  10. T
  11. C♯6
  12. T
  13. D♯7
  14. S
  15. E8

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 E 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 E 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 E, four letters cannot keep up:

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

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

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

CD1EFG4A5BCD1EFG4A5BCD1EFG4A5BC6C♯7D♯2F♯3G♯A♯6C♯7D♯2F♯3G♯A♯6C♯7D♯2F♯3G♯A♯C3C4C5C6

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

E major scale on the whole neck

GCEA123456789101112131415G♯3A4B5C♯6D♯7E1F♯2G♯3A4C♯6D♯7E1F♯2G♯3A4B5C♯6D♯7E1F♯2G♯3A4B5C♯6D♯7E1F♯2A4B5C♯6D♯7E1F♯2G♯3A4B5

36 notes of the E major scale are marked across four strings.

This is every place the notes of the E major scale fall on the ukulele, 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
GCEA12345634567123456
Position 2 — starts on the 4
GCEA234567456712234567
Position 3 — starts on the 5
GCEA456789567123345671
Position 4 — starts on the 6
GCEA6789101167123456712
Position 5 — starts on the 7
GCEA8910111213712345671234
Position 6 — starts on the 1
GCEA91011121314123456671234
Position 7 — starts on the 2
GCEA111213141516234567712345

The E major scale has seven playable positions, at frets 1–5, 2–6, 4–8, 6–10, 8–12, 9–13 and 11–15.

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

GCEA9101112131415123456712345TAB9111391113111214111214

The climb runs from fret 9 to fret 14 and plays twelve 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 three notes on every string. The widest stretch on any one string is four frets.