C Major (Ionian) Lesson

The C Major (Ionian) is a 7 note scale with the following notes:

Notes: C D E F G A B

All Major (Ionian) scales have the following formula relative to the major scale:

Formula (Relative to the Major Scale): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Below is an interactive diagram of the C Major (Ionian) scale, including the major-scale-relative formula and note names.

Try pressing the piano keys below (or on your MIDI keyboard) to get a feel for how the scale sounds.

1C2D3E4F5G6A7B1C2D3E4F5G6A7B

Study this slide, then move to the next slide to test your knowledge of the notes in the C Major (Ionian) with a quiz.

NOTE: We recommend playing the scale forwards and backwards in various intervals (2nds, 3rds, etc.) to effectively memorize it.