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Fig. 1 · G# major · first 12 frets

guitar scale

G♯ major

G♯1A♯2B♯3C♯4D♯5E♯6F𝄪7

The seven-note scale everything else is measured against: two whole steps, a half, three whole steps, a half.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are A♭ major.

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · G# major, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

G♯WA♯WB♯HC♯WD♯WE♯WF𝄪HG♯

What is true of it

G♯ major is G♯, A♯, B♯, C♯, D♯, E♯ and F𝄪, and back to G♯.

Its steps are W – W – H – W – W – W – H, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Written correctly it needs 8 alterations, F𝄪 among them. That is what the letters force, and it is also why nobody writes music in this key: the same notes spelled from the other side are easier to read.

On the same tonic, G♯ melodic minor differs from it by exactly one note.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 43 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

It cannot be written as a key signature at all, because a signature has no room for a double accidental.

Chords made only of these notes

C♯majorC♯maj7major seventhD♯majorD♯7dominant seventhG♯majorG♯maj7major seventhA♯mminorA♯m7minor seventh

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on G♯

G♯ harmonic majormajorG♯ natural minorminorG♯ harmonic minorminorG♯ melodic minorminor

C majC♯ majD♭ majD majD♯ majE♭ majE majF majall 374