Q: and if so, is there another method you would suggest that doesn't rely on the major scale?
A: basically you could just start with one note. just play that note, now you know how it feels to play that note. so you have 2 options: playing the note, or playing nothing. think of the wonderous portraits you could paint, just from painting and not painting that note. Gradually, when you're ready, add another note to the notes you know. just learn what the notes sound like, 1 note at a time, and let them gradually assimilate themselves into your repetoire. the darn thing happens pretty much automatically the more time you spend around the instrument