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What pattern of whole steps and half steps forms a major scale?
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scale
The universality and innate nature of music, and the pentatonic scale, as demonstrated by singer Bobby McFerrin.
A major scale is a heptatonic scale consisting of a specific sequence of whole steps (W) and half steps (H). The pattern that defines a major scale is:
W β W β H β W β W β W β H1
In this arrangement, the half steps serve to divide the whole steps into groups of two and three. This structure is fundamental to Western music and can be constructed starting on any of the 12 pitches within an octave, with these transpositions referred to as keys.1