A Major Scale - Emily Learning Music

A Major Scale it starts and ends with A. The relative minor of A Major is F# minor. Both of these keys have F#, C# and G#.

A Major Key Signature

Here’s the key signature for A Major – F#, C# and G#.

key signature of A major in treble clef. This is also the key signature of F# minor.

key signature of A major in bass clef. This is also the key signature of F# minor.

key signature of A major in alto clef. This is also the key signature of F# minor.

key signature of A major in tenor clef. This is also the key signature of F# minor.

Notes in the Scale of A Major

When we play a scale, we usually start off with an ascending scale (the notes get higher), followed by descending scale (the notes get lower).

Ascending scale of A Major: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A

Descending scale of A Major: A, G#, F#, E#, D, C#, B, A

Degrees of the Scale

Degrees of the scale refers to the number we assign to each note of a scale. When we are assigning degrees of a scale, we look at the scale in ascending order. Here are the notes for the various degrees of the A Major scale:

1st degree: A

2nd degree: B

3rd degree: C#

4th degree: D

5th degree: E

6th degree: F#

7th degree: G#

Technical Names of Notes in A Major

Instead of using the degree of the scale, we can also use technical names of notes.

tonic – A

supertonic – B

mediant – C#

subdominant – D

dominant – E

submediant – F#

leading note – G#

Semitones and Tones

In all major scales, they follow this:

Pairs of notes	Tone or semitone apart?
1st -> 2nd	tone
2nd -> 3rd	tone
3rd -> 4th	semitone
4th -> 5th	tone
5th -> 6th	tone
6th -> 7th	tone
7th -> 8th	semitone

Most adjacent pairs of notes in the major scale are a tone apart, except for the 3rd to 4th note, and the 7th to the 8th note. This doesn’t apply just to A Major scale, but for ALL major scales. By knowing the distance between the notes in a Major scale, we can form any major scale even if we do not know its key signature.

In this case, the semitones are found here:

From C# to D (3rd to 4th note)
From G# to A (7th to 8th note)

A Major Scale on different clefs.

Here’s how the A Major scales look like in treble clef (without key signature). I’ve also included the fingerings:

A Major ascending and descending scales in treble clef with fingerings included.

Here’s how the A Major scales look like in bass clef (without key signature). I’ve also included the fingerings:

A Major ascending and descending scales in bass clef with fingerings included.

Here’s how the A Major scales look like in alto clef.

A Major ascending and descending scales in alto clef with fingerings included.

Here’s how the A Major scales look like in tenor clef (without key signature).

A Major ascending and descending scales in tenor clef.

How to play the A Major scale on the piano

The fingerings for the right hand part of the A Major scale are:

A -1/5 (Use 5th finger for the highest note of the scale)

B- 2

C#- 3

D -1

E – 2

F#- 3

G# – 4

The fingerings for the left hand part of the E Major scale are:

A -1/5 (Use the 5th finger for the lowest note, the rest should be played with the 1st finger or thumb)

B- 4

C#- 3

D -2

E – 1

F# – 3

G# – 2