Box 1
CAGED Position 1 (E shape)
Frets 5–8
When to use it: The E-shape position. The root on the 6th string matches an E-shape barre chord, so it is the easiest one to anchor to a chord you are already holding.
Major (Ionian) · also called Ionian
A Major Scale
The default. Nursery rhymes, pop choruses, and almost every melody you already know.
- Notes
- A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯
- Formula
- 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7
- Sound
- bright, settled
- Guitar positions
- 5
The patterns on guitar
5 fretboard positions in standard tuning, low string on the left. Every dot is a note of the scale and the number inside it is the scale degree, so you can see the shape and the theory at once.
root notescale notenumbers inside the dots are scale degrees
Box 2
CAGED Position 2 (D shape)
Frets 7–10
When to use it: The D-shape position. Awkward standing alone; its job is bridging the E shape below it to the C shape above.
Box 3
CAGED Position 3 (C shape)
Frets 9–12
When to use it: The C-shape position, root on the 5th string. Comfortable for melody playing because most of the scale falls under a four-fret hand span.
Box 4
CAGED Position 4 (A shape)
Open position
When to use it: It lands in open position for this key, so the open strings carry the low notes — easy to play, but the one shape you cannot slide to another key. The A-shape position. Pairs with A-shape barre chords, so it is where to solo when the progression is rooted on the 5th string.
Box 5
CAGED Position 5 (G shape)
Frets 2–5
When to use it: The G-shape position. It stretches, but it connects the top of the neck back around to the E shape an octave higher.
The notes
7 notes, built off A with the formula 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7. The reference scale — every other scale is described by how it differs from this one. Learn one major scale properly and you have the map for keys, chords and the circle of fifths.
Tap any note to hear it on its own.
Chords built from this scale
Stack every other note of the scale and you get its seven diatonic chords. These are the chords that sound at home over this scale — a progression made only of these will never leave the key.
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Seventh | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | A C♯ E | Amaj7 | tonic — everything resolves here |
| ii | Bm | B D F♯ | Bm7 | supertonic — pre-dominant — the usual step toward the dominant |
| iii | C♯m | C♯ E G♯ | C♯m7 | mediant — a soft substitute for the tonic |
| IV | D | D F♯ A | Dmaj7 | subdominant — the lift away from home |
| V | E | E G♯ B | E7 | dominant — wants to resolve home |
| vi | F♯m | F♯ A C♯ | F♯m7 | submediant — a soft landing away from the tonic |
| vii° | G♯dim | G♯ B D | G♯m7♭5 | leading tone — a half step below home, maximum tension |
Common questions
What notes are in the A Major Scale?
The A major scale has 7 notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#. The interval formula is 1–2–3–4–5–6–7, counted up from A.
What chords are in the A Major Scale?
The A major scale builds seven diatonic chords: I A, ii Bm, iii C#m, IV D, V E, vi F#m, vii° G#dim.
Where do I start on guitar?
Start with CAGED Position 1 (E shape) at fret 5. The E-shape position. The root on the 6th string matches an E-shape barre chord, so it is the easiest one to anchor to a chord you are already holding.
Is the A Major Scale the same as the F# Natural Minor Scale?
They use exactly the same notes — A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G# — but resolve to different home notes. Play the pattern thinking A and you hear the A major scale; think F# and the same shape becomes the F# natural minor scale.
Learn the theory behind it
The patterns above get your fingers moving. These explain what the notes are actually doing, so you can use the scale instead of just running it.