Guitar scale · Ionian mode
F Major Scale
Bright, balanced major scale forming the foundation of Western music and pop/rock.
Tap any note to hear it.
F Major Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------1-3-5-| B|-------------------------3-5-------| G|-------------------2-3-5-----------| D|-------------2-3-5-----------------| A|-------1-3-5-----------------------| E|-1-3-5-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------3-5-6-| B|-------------------------5-6-------| G|-------------------3-5-7-----------| D|-------------3-5-7-----------------| A|-------3-5-7-----------------------| E|-3-5-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-6-8-| B|-------------------------6-8-------| G|-------------------5-7-9-----------| D|-------------5-7-8-----------------| A|-------5-7-8-----------------------| E|-5-6-8-----------------------------|
e|---------------------------------------8-10-12-| B|---------------------------------10-11---------| G|-------------------------9-10-12---------------| D|-----------------8-10-12-----------------------| A|---------8-10-12-------------------------------| E|-8-10-12---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-12-13-| B|-------------------------------------11-13----------| G|----------------------------10-12-14----------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------| A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------| E|-10-12-13-------------------------------------------|
How to play F Major on guitar
Find the root first: F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 1–5. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
F major shares all its notes with D minor, its relative minor. See the D Minor Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | F |
| 2 | G |
| 3 | A |
| 4 | Bb |
| 5 | C |
| 6 | D |
| 7 | E |
Chords in F Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | F | Fmaj7 | Tonic |
| ii | Gm | Gm7 | Supertonic |
| iii | Am | Am7 | Mediant |
| IV | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Subdominant |
| V | C | C7 | Dominant |
| vi | Dm | Dm7 | Submediant |
| vii° | Edim | Em7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F Major anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
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Questions
- What notes are in the F Major Scale?
- The F Major Scale has 7 notes: F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E.
- What chords are in the F Major Scale?
- The chords of F Major are F (I), Gm (ii), Am (iii), Bb (IV), C (V), Dm (vi), Edim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play F Major on the guitar?
- The root F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 1–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.