How to play the A Ionian guitar scale

The A Ionian scale is a ionian scale which means it has the following definition:

R 2 3 4 5 6 7

The Ionian mode is the first mode of the Major scale.

Which notes are in the A Ionian guitar scale?

The notes in the A Ionian scale are:

A B C# D E F# G# A

There are 7 notes in the scale with no flats and 3 sharps.

What are the intervals in the A Ionian Guitar Scale?

The scale definition for the A Ionian guitar scale is R 2 3 4 5 6 7 which means that the interval formula for the scale in semitones is:

2 2 1 2 2 2 1

You can also write this as note intervals:

Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone

The A Ionian Guitar Scale on the fretboard

Let's take a look at A Ionian on the guitar fretboard. Here is the scale across the entire fretboard:

What are the chords in the key of A Ionian?

There are 7 notes in the A Ionian scale so you can build 7 chords using each note in the scale as a chord root.

The triads (three note chords) in the key of A Ionian are:

Degree

I

ii

iii

IV

V

vi

vii

Chord

A maj

B min

C# min

D maj

E maj

F# min

G# dim

Spelling

A C# E

B D F#

C# E G#

D F# A

E G# B

F# A C#

G# B D

Diagram

A Ionian Guitar Scale Recap

Here is a quick recap of all the information about the A Ionian covered in this page:

• The A Ionian Scale is a ionian scale.

• The definition of the A Ionian scale is: R 2 3 4 5 6 7

• The notes in the A Ionian guitar scale are: A B C# D E F# G# A

• The interval formula for the A Ionian scale is: 2 2 1 2 2 2 1

• The note intervals in the A Ionian scale are: Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone