F major scale
F major scale is F – G – A – B♭ – C – D – E, with B♭. Formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
F major scale, note by note
The step pattern is W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between A–B♭ and E–F.
| Degree | Note | Interval from F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | root | |
| 2 | G | major second | |
| 3 | A | major third | |
| 4 | B♭ | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | C | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | D | major sixth | |
| 7 | E | major seventh |
What F major sounds like
Most of the tunes people hum in the West sit on a major scale. F major is the home base of songs in the key of F, and its seven notes are the only ones you need for the chords of that key.
The move that defines F major is C to F: the E in C sits a half step under F and resolves up to it.
Compared with F natural minor scale, F major scale has A, D and E where the other has A♭, D♭ and E♭; the other four notes are shared. Hear F natural minor scale and compare.
Playing F major
Keyboard players: one black (B♭), six white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 1st fret of the low E string and spans frets 0–5: 17 notes, low string to high.
The key of F major
Songs in F major are built from these notes, so the key signature has one flat (B♭). The relative minor is D minor: same notes, starting on the 6th degree. The parallel minor, F natural minor, starts on the same note with different notes above it.
Chords and progressions in F major
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords of the key. Tap to hear each one.
Same notes, different home: C Mixolydian (starting on the 5th note, C), D natural minor (starting on the 6th note, D), E Locrian (starting on the 7th note, E), G Dorian (starting on the 2nd note, G), A Phrygian (starting on the 3rd note, A) and B♭ Lydian (starting on the 4th note, B♭). Play any of them over a drone on its first note and the mood changes, even though the keys you press don't.
Finding F major on the neck
The root, F, sits at frets 1 and 13 on the low E string and 8 on the A string. Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 1, 3, 6, 8 and 10) and you'll have it everywhere. On guitar, learn the box from the 6th-string root first; the same fingering moves anywhere.
On the piano, F major scale uses 1 black key (B♭) and 6 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's F–A, G–B♭, A–C, B♭–D, C–E, D–F, E–G.
Practice patterns for F major scale
Once F major is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Groups of three: F G A · G A B♭ · A B♭ C · B♭ C D · C D E · D E F.
- Target E: F E F E F: the 7th, a half step under the root, pulls the ear home.
Scales to compare with F major
Major scale in every key
F major scale: questions
What are the notes of the F major scale?
F, G, A, B♭, C, D and E, then F again at the octave. Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the F major scale?
One: B♭. That matches the key signature of F major.
What chords are in the F major scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives F (I), Gm (ii), Am (iii), B♭ (IV), C (V), Dm (vi) and Edim (vii°).
What's the difference between F major scale and F natural minor scale?
A, D and E in F major; A♭, D♭ and E♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Generated from the step pattern 2-2-1-2-2-2-1 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.