Choose a tonic, hear the pattern, and watch each note find its place.
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Tonic / root Playing now · Outlined notes belong to this example
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Tonic means the note that feels like home. Degrees 1–7 describe places in the scale, so the pattern works in every key.
W = whole step (2 semitones). H = half step (1 semitone). A 3 is a three-semitone jump. On guitar, a semitone is one fret; on piano, it is the next key, including black keys.
Guitar shows standard tuning, frets 0–12, with the thin high E string at the top. A note can appear in more than one position; purple marks positions with the exact sounding pitch. Choose one position to play.
Try this with your ears
Play C major. Hum the last note: that is home.
Switch to C natural minor. Notice what changes at degrees 3, 6 and 7.
Switch to A natural minor. The notes match C major, but the center has moved.
Try C major pentatonic and improvise a three-note answer.
Spellings matter: F♯ major contains E♯, which sounds like F on this equal-tempered keyboard. Labels preserve scale degrees.