G Major Scale - Emily Learning Music

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

G Major Key Signature

Here’s the key signature for G Major – F#.

key signature of G Major in treble clef. This is also the key signature of E minor.

key signature of G major in bass clef. This is also the key signature of E minor.

key signature of G major in alto clef. This is also the key signature of E minor.

key signature of G major in tenor clef. This is also the key signature of E minor.

Notes in the Scale of G 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 G Major: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G

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

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 G Major scale:

1st degree: G

2nd degree: A

3rd degree: B

4th degree: C

5th degree: D

6th degree: E

7th degree: F#

Technical Names of Notes in G Major

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

tonic – G

supertonic – A

mediant – B

subdominant – C

dominant – D

submediant – E

leading note – F#

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 G 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 B to C (3rd to 4th note)
From F# to G (7th to 8th note)

G Major Scale on different clefs.

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

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

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

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

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

G Major ascending and descending scales in alto clef.

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

G Major ascending and descending scales in tenor clef.

How to play the G Major scale on the piano

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

G- 1/5 (use the 5th finger only for the highest note)

A- 2

B -3

C – 1

D- 2

E – 3

F# -4

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

G- 5

A- 4

B -3

C – 2

D- 1

E – 3

F# – 2