Piano scales · Major

B major scale on piano

The B major scale has seven notes and 5 sharps. Here it is on the keyboard, with the fingering, the chords in the key and a button to hear it.

The notes

B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A♯, and back to B.

Every major scale follows the same pattern of steps: whole – whole – half – whole – whole – whole – half. A whole step skips one key; a half step goes to the very next key, black or white.

Key signature

B major has 5 sharps: C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯, A♯. Music in B major shows these at the start of every line.

Its relative minor is G♯ minor: the same notes, starting from G♯. See every key on the circle of fifths, and all the key signatures.

Fingering

• Right hand, going up: 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5
• Left hand, going up: 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

Coming down, use the same fingers in reverse.

Chords in B major

Build a chord on each note of the scale, using only the scale's notes, and you get the seven chords of the key:

How to practise it

• Hands separately first, slowly, with a metronome. Evenness matters more than speed: every note the same length and the same weight.
• Watch the thumb: it should pass under smoothly, without the hand jumping.
• When it's even at a slow speed, go up a few clicks. Then hands together, an octave apart.

Keep learning