A Major Scale

The two half steps in A major are C sharp-D and G sharp-A. Play each pair separately before playing the whole scale. The remaining steps are whole steps, giving the major pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

A major shares six notes with D major. D uses G natural; A uses G sharp. That single change is the next clockwise move on the circle of fifths.

F, C and G are sharp by default in music written with an A-major key signature. In scale order, you encounter C sharp, F sharp and G sharp. The order of sharps printed at the start of the staff is F, C, G, which can look different from the order you play them.

A note outside the signature can still occur in a piece in A. A natural sign before G, for example, tells you to play G natural at that point.

Take every other scale note to make triads: A-C sharp-E is A major; E-G sharp-B is E major; D-F sharp-A is D major. The full set is A, Bm, C sharp minor, D, E, F sharp minor and G sharp diminished.

Play A-D-E-A. In E major, G sharp can rise a half step to A when the first chord returns. Name that one note as you listen; it makes the harmonic effect less mysterious. Diatonic Chords derives the same seven-chord pattern from any major scale.

F sharp natural minor uses the same pitch collection, starting and ending on F sharp. To hear the changed center, alternate A-C sharp-E-A over an A bass with F sharp-A-C sharp-F sharp over an F-sharp bass. The black keys do not change; the resting point does.

Find A, then C sharp and D. If you can locate that first half-step pair, continue to F sharp, G sharp and A. Stop after G sharp once and let your ear predict the final key.