A Ionian scale on guitar
A Ionian has 7 notes: A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯. Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Formula: W W H W W W H.
What notes are in the A Ionian scale?
A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯ and G♯. It has 7 notes; its formula in whole and half steps is W W H W W W H.
What does A Ionian sound like, and when do you use it?
Bright, stable and resolved: the starting point of Western harmony. Use it over maj7 · the I of a major key (careful with the 4th over the chord: it's the avoid note).
To hear it: Let It Be — The Beatles.
Chords in A Ionian
| Degree | Triad | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| I | A | Amaj7 |
| ii | Bm | Bm7 |
| iii | C♯m | C♯m7 |
| IV | D | Dmaj7 |
| V | E | E7 |
| vi | F♯m | F♯m7 |
| vii° | G♯° | G♯m7♭5 |
Chord progressions to improvise with A Ionian
In Jam mode (the Jam button above) a band of grand piano, upright bass and drums (recorded instruments) plays these progressions as swing, bossa, groove or ballad, and the fretboard lights up the notes of each chord as it plays. It's a backing track made for this scale in A:
- The turnaround (Imaj7–vi7–ii7–V7): Amaj7 | F♯m7 | Bm7 | E7. The jazz and pop turnaround, one chord per bar. The V7 pulls back to the I: resolve to C♯.
- ii–V–I (ii7–V7–Imaj7): Bm7 | E7 | Amaj7 | Amaj7. The jazz cadence: tension on the V7, arrival on the I. End your phrases on C♯ or G♯.
- Pop (I–V–vi–IV): A | E | F♯m | D. The progression of a thousand songs. Simple melodies resting on the highlighted notes.
A Ionian positions on guitar
In standard tuning (E A D G B E), with 3 notes per string, A Ionian is played in 7 positions along the neck:
- Position 1: frets 5 to 10 (starts on the root)
- Position 2: frets 7 to 12
- Position 3: frets 9 to 14
- Position 4: frets 10 to 16
- Position 5: frets 0 to 5
- Position 6: frets 2 to 7
- Position 7: frets 4 to 9
Same notes as
A major · F♯ natural minor · B Dorian · C♯ Phrygian · D Lydian · E Mixolydian · F♯ Aeolian · G♯ Locrian