diff --git a/packages/tonal/test/tonal.test.mjs b/packages/tonal/test/tonal.test.mjs
index c1155c238..ec944b339 100644
--- a/packages/tonal/test/tonal.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/tonal/test/tonal.test.mjs
@@ -37,6 +37,13 @@ describe('tonal', () => {
         .firstCycleValues.map((h) => h.note),
     ).toEqual(['C3', 'D3', 'E3']);
   });
+  it('scale without tonic', () => {
+    expect(
+      n(0, 1, 2)
+        .scale('major')
+        .firstCycleValues.map((h) => h.note),
+    ).toEqual(['C3', 'D3', 'E3']);
+  });
   it('scale with mininotation colon', () => {
     expect(
       n(0, 1, 2)
diff --git a/packages/tonal/tonal.mjs b/packages/tonal/tonal.mjs
index 4fd622158..a425782d2 100644
--- a/packages/tonal/tonal.mjs
+++ b/packages/tonal/tonal.mjs
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ function scaleStep(step, scale) {
   scale = scale.replaceAll(':', ' ');
   step = Math.ceil(step);
   let { intervals, tonic, empty } = Scale.get(scale);
-  if ((empty && isNote(scale)) || (!empty && !tonic)) {
+  if ((empty && isNote(scale)) || (empty && !tonic)) {
     throw new Error(`incomplete scale. Make sure to use ":" instead of spaces, example: .scale("C:major")`);
   } else if (empty) {
     throw new Error(`invalid scale "${scale}"`);