scale of C major

3.7

A set of notes from C to B with no sharps or flats

noun
/skeɪl əv siː ˈmeɪdʒər/

Specialized

: escala de do mayor

The scale of C major is often taught to beginners because it contains no sharps or flats.

Examples

To play the scale of C major, start with the note C and proceed stepwise up to B.
The scale of C major is often used in beginner piano lessons.
She mastered the scale of C major before moving on to more complex keys.
Can you play the scale of C major on the guitar?
The scale of C major is often taught to beginners because it contains no sharps or flats.
To play the scale of C major, start with the note C and proceed stepwise up to B.
Can you play the scale of C major on the guitar?

Synonyms

C major

vsscale of C major

2 3.5

A major key with no sharps or flats that uses only the white keys on a piano

is the same notes presented as the named scale rather than the broader key

C major scale

vsscale of C major

3.2

A sequence of notes C D E F G A B with no sharps or flats

is the same musical sequence but used as the named scale phrase

Surface Forms

scale of C major singular

scales of C major plural

Morphology

scale + of + C + major

The phrase is compositionally clear: 'scale' (series of notes) + 'of' (belonging to) + 'C' (the tonic pitch) + 'major' (the major mode) directly denotes the musical scale built on C in the major key. While the technical detail that it has no sharps or flats requires some musical knowledge, the basic referent 'the C major scale' is transparently recoverable from the constituents.

Etymology

Scale of C major comes from a simple picture on the piano: if you start on the note C and play the seven white keys in order, you hear the scale. Because it uses only the white keys, it has 'no sharps or flats', so the phrase now means the seven notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.