How to play A major scale on flute, notes, fingering chart, and concert tips

The A major scale on flute is the scale of the key of A or three sharps. This implies that its tonic note is A natural. A major is relative to the key of F-sharp minor, parallel to the key of A minor, dominant to the key of E major, and subdominant to the key of D major. Below is a two octaves scale of A major on flute and how it sounds;

A major scale on flute two octaves

How to play the A major scale on the flute, its notes, and fingering chat

You can only play an A major scale of two octaves on the flute, being between the ranges of A5 to A7. You need to use a fingering chart or a particular pattern to play the A major scale on the flute. Below is a guide and finger chart of how to play the A major scale on the flute;

First octave A major scale notes (A5 – A6) fingering chart for flute

To play the first octave (A5 – A6) A major scale on the flute, you have to sharpen the F note, C note, and G note. Your fingering needs to be accurate in other to produce a perfect scale. Below is a chart for the first octave of A major scale on the flute;

A major scale on flute first octave fingering chat

Second octave A major scale notes (A6 – A7) fingering chart for flute

To play the second octave (A6 – A7) A major scale on the flute, you have to sharpen the F note, C note, and G note. Your fingering needs to be accurate in other to produce a perfect scale. Learning the scale might be hard for beginners. You will also have to tighten your lips to produce higher-pitched notes. Below is a chart for the second octave A major scale on the flute;

A major scale on flute second octave finger chat

Concert A major scale

While playing the A major scale, or playing a composition written in A major for the flute in a concert, you will have to sharpen the F note, C note and G note unless where indicated to be naturalized. This means that all notes except the F note, C note and G note are played naturally while playing this scale on the concert flute, Indian or Bansuri flute, Native American flute, pan flute, Arabian flute, and any other flute.

If you play an alto flute or any other transposable flute, you can play the A major scale without any transposition. But while running the A major scale with another instrument that is not transposable, you will then have to transpose to the right key in other to sound the same with them in pitch.

A major scale flute notes and arpeggio

The A major scale can be played up to two octaves on a C flute, or the standard concert flute. The first note of this scale on the C flute is the A natural note on the second space of the treble clef which in the range is the A5.

The notes or alphabets that you will play to get this scale correctly include; A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯, and A. The two-octave arpeggio of this scale has its notes as A, C♯, E, A, C♯, E, A, E, C♯, A, E, C♯, A.

Notable flute compositions in A major

  • 11 Flute Sonatas by Johann Benda
  • 3 Flute Quartets Op.145 by Ferdinand Ries
  • 6 Flute Quartets by Johann Matthias Sperger
  • 8 Variations for Flute and Guitar Op.20 by Jean Baptiste de Fier
  • ‘La flûte enchantée’ Fantaisie Op.97 by Pierre François Clodomir
  • Air varié pour flûte by Joseph Schmitt
  • Concertante for Flute, Violin and Cello Op.48 by Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda
  • Concertino for 2 Flutes in A major MWV 10.33 by Johann Melchior Molter
  • Concertino for 4 Flutes in A major MWV 8.20 by Johann Melchior Molter
  • Concerto for 2 Flutes and Bassoon TWV 53:A1 by Georg Philipp Telemann
  • Concerto for 2 Flutes in A major MWV 5.20 by Johann Melchior Molter
  • Concerto for Flute d’amore in A major GWV 728 by Christoph Graupner
  • Concerto for Flute, Violin and Cello TWV 53:A2 by Georg Philipp Telemann
  • Duet for Alto Flute and Bass Flute in A major Op.2653 by Stephen W. Beatty
  • Duet for Flute and Clarinet in A major Op.2914 by Stephen W. Beatty
  • Duet for Flute and Guitar Op.87 by Leonhard von Call
  • Duo No.13 for 2 Flutes by Stéphane Burkhart
  • Fantasie pour Flûte, Violon et Guitare Op.123 by Ferdinando Carulli
  • Flute Concerto in A major by Johann Scherer
  • Flute Concerto in A major GraunWV Cv:XIII:150 by Johann Gottlieb Graun
  • Flute Concerto in A major GraunWV Cv:XIII:153 by Johann Gottlieb Graun
  • Flute Concerto in A major GWV 727 by Christoph Graupner
  • Flute Concerto in A major H.438 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
  • Flute Concerto in A major L2.15 by Franz Benda
  • Flute Concerto in A major MWV 6.13 by Johann Melchior Molter
  • Flute Concerto in A major MWV 6.18 by Johann Melchior Molter
  • Flute Concerto in A major QV 5:217 by Johann Joachim Quantz
  • Flute Concerto in A major QV 5:218 by Johann Joachim Quantz
  • Flute Concerto in A major SchW A1:002 by Johann Adolph Scheibe
  • Flute Concerto in A major SchW A1:005 by Johann Adolph Scheibe
  • Flute Concerto in D major MWV 6.17 by Johann Melchior Molter
  • Flute Concerto No.1 in A major by Johann Baptist Vanhal
  • Flute Concerto No.12 in A major by François Devienne
  • Flute Concerto No.4 Op.90 by Johann Wilhelm Gabrielski
  • Flute Quartet in A major by Giulio Briccialdi
  • Flute Quartet in A major K.298 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Flute Quartet in A major by Johann Christian Bach
  • Flute Quintet in A major H.5905/5 by Franz Anton Hoffmeister
  • Flute Quintet Op.49 by Eugène Walckiers
  • Flute Sonata in A major by Johann Heinrich Freytag
  • Flute Sonata in A major BWV 1032 by Johann Sebastian Bach
  • Flute Sonata in A major D-KA Mus. Hs. 1112 by Anonymous
  • Flute Sonata in A major D-KA Mus. Hs. 1124 by Anonymous
  • Flute Sonata in A major FleB 2.11 by Christlieb Siegmund Binder
  • Flute Sonata in A major MWV 11.11 by Johann Melchior Molter
  • Flute Sonata in A major MWV 11.12 by Johann Melchior Molter
  • Flute Sonata in A major Op.31 by Muzio Clementi
  • Flute Sonata in A major PB 329 by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier
  • Flute Sonata in A major QV 1:143 by Johann Joachim Quantz
  • Flute Sonata No.1 by Philippe Gaubert
  • Flute Sonata No.1 in A major Gjedde coll. by Martin Ræhs
  • Flute Sonata No.2 in A major Schwerin coll. by Martin Ræhs
  • Flute Sonata No.4 in A major by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach
  • Flute Sonata No.7 in A major Gjedde coll. by Martin Ræhs
  • Flute Sonata No.8 in A major Gjedde coll. by Martin Ræhs
  • Flute Sonata Op.17 by Ebenezer Prout
  • Flute Trio in A major Op.14 by Heinrich Neumann
  • Flute Trio Op.59 by Kaspar Kummer
  • Flute Trio Op.77 by Kaspar Kummer
  • Grand trio pour la Guitare Flûte et Clarinette ou Alto by Joseph Kreutzer
  • Nocturne for Flute Viola and Guitar by Peter Ritter
  • Quartet No.1 for Flute and Strings Op.10 by Raphael Dressler
  • Serenade for Flute and Guitar Op.43 by Joseph Küffner
  • Serenade for Flute and Guitar Op.70 by Joseph Küffner
  • Serenade for Flute or Violin and Guitar Op.47 by Joseph Küffner
  • Serenade for Flute Viola and Guitar Op.15 by Joseph Küffner
  • Serenade for Flute Viola and Guitar Op.6 by Joseph Küffner
  • Sketch for Flute and Violin by Udo Zörn
  • Solo for Alto Flute in A major Op.2652 by Stephen W. Beatty
  • Solo for Bass Flute in A major Op.2651 by Stephen W. Beatty
  • Sonata for 2 Flutes 2 Violins and Continuo in A major by Alessandro Scarlatti
  • Sonata for 3 Flutes in A major PB 255 by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier
  • Suite for Flute and Piano Op.63 by Paul Graener
  • Suite for Violin Flute and Piano No.17 by Fidelis Zitterbart Jr.
  • Suite No.7 for 2 Flutes by Michel de La Barre