MUSIC THEORY LESSON

How to Construct Scales and Chords on the Guitar

Learn how intervals are used to build major scales, major and minor chords, and understand the theory behind the shapes and sounds you play on the guitar.

The Building Blocks

Understanding Intervals

An interval is the distance in pitch between two notes, measured from a starting note, the root note. On the guitar, intervals are particularly easy to visualize because each fret represents one semitone. If you choose a root note and move up the fretboard, the number of frets you move tells you the interval from that root.

Distance from the Root Note

Root Note 0 semitones
Minor 2nd 1 semitone from the root
Major 2nd 2 semitones from the root
Minor 3rd 3 semitones from the root
Major 3rd 4 semitones from the root
Perfect 4th 5 semitones from the root
Tritone / ♭5 6 semitones from the root
Perfect 5th 7 semitones from the root
Minor 6th 8 semitones from the root
Major 6th 9 semitones from the root
Minor 7th 10 semitones from the root
Major 7th 11 semitones from the root
Octave 12 semitones from the root
Why do intervals matter? Scales and chords are built by selecting specific intervals from the root note. Once you understand the distance of each note from the root, you can begin to understand why a scale or chord is constructed the way it is instead of simply memorizing shapes.
Building Scales

How to Construct the Major Scale

A major scale contains seven different notes before returning to the root note one octave higher. To construct it, we select specific intervals from the root.

Major Scale Formula
Root Major 2nd Major 3rd Perfect 4th Perfect 5th Major 6th Major 7th Octave
Whole – Whole – Half – Whole – Whole – Whole – Half
On the guitar, a whole step equals two frets and a half step equals one fret.

Example: E Major

Starting from E and following the major-scale formula gives us:

E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯ – D♯ – E

E is the root, F♯ the major 2nd, G♯ the major 3rd, A the perfect 4th, B the perfect 5th, C♯ the major 6th and D♯ the major 7th.

E major scale guitar TAB showing the scale on the E string and across different strings
E Major Scale on the Guitar
Try it yourself: Choose another root note and use the same formula to construct its major scale. Try A, G, C and D major.
Building Chords

How Major and Minor Chords Are Constructed

A basic major or minor chord is built from three notes, called a triad. Both use the root note and the perfect 5th. The note that changes is the 3rd.

Major Chord

A major chord is constructed using the root note, the major 3rd and the perfect 5th.

Root + Major 3rd + Perfect 5th

For example, an E major chord contains:

E – G♯ – B

E is the root, G♯ is the major 3rd and B is the perfect 5th.

Minor Chord

A minor chord is constructed using the root note, the minor 3rd and the perfect 5th.

Root + Minor 3rd + Perfect 5th

For example, an E minor chord contains:

E – G – B

E is the root, G is the minor 3rd and B is the perfect 5th.

The important difference: To change a major chord into a minor chord, lower the major 3rd by one semitone. In E major, G♯ becomes G, while the root and perfect 5th stay the same.
Try it yourself: Work out the notes in A major and A minor, G major and G minor, C major and C minor, and D major and D minor.

Watch: How to Construct Scales and Chords on the Guitar

See these concepts in action and learn how intervals are used to construct major scales, major chords and minor chords on the guitar.

Continue Learning

Ready to Take Your Guitar Playing Further?

Now that you understand how scales and chords are constructed, you can start putting that knowledge into practice. Explore my complete guitar courses to develop your technique, fretboard knowledge, chords, improvisation, flamenco playing and more with structured step-by-step lessons.

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