Meanings
nounmajor scale (plural major scales)
plural major scales
- entertainmentOne of the diatonic scales; a group of notes or musical pitches in a particular pattern, used to make melodies. The pattern for a major scale is: tone - tone - semitone - tone - tone - tone - semitone.
{c' d' e' f' g' a' b' c}
In the key of C Major, the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C form a major scale
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna diatonic scale with notes separated by whole tones except for the 3rd and 4th and 7th and 8th
Similar
major diatonic scale
Broader
modemusical mode
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 大音階 /大音阶, 大調音階 /大调音阶
- 大音階 /大音阶 (dàyīnjiē)diatonic scale
- 大調音階 /大调音阶diatonic scale
- 大调音階 (dàdiào yīnjiē)diatonic scale
Czech durová stupnice
- durová stupnicediatonic scale
Finnish duuriasteikko
- duuriasteikkodiatonic scale
French gamme majeure, mode majeur
- gamme majeurediatonic scale
- mode majeurdiatonic scale
German Dur
- Durdiatonic scale
Hungarian dúr hangsor/skála
- dúr hangsor/skáladiatonic scale
Japanese 長音階
- 長音階 (chō onkai)diatonic scale
Māori āwhata matua
- āwhata matuadiatonic scale
Persian گام ماژور
- گام ماژور (gâm-e mâžor)diatonic scale
Polish skala durowa, skala majorowa
- skala durowadiatonic scale
- skala majorowadiatonic scale
Romanian gamă majoră
- gamă majorădiatonic scale
Russian мажо́рная га́мма
- мажо́рная га́мма (mažórnaja gámma)diatonic scale
Swedish durskala
- durskaladiatonic scale
Turkish majör gamı
- majör gamıdiatonic scale
Cite this entry
APA
major scale. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/major%20scale
MLA
“major scale.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/major%20scale. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “major scale,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/major%20scale.
Source: major scale on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.