Piano scales · Major

C major scale on piano

The C major scale has seven notes and no sharps or flats. Here it is on the keyboard, with the fingering, the chords in the key and a button to hear it.

The notes

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

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

C major has no sharps or flats: every note is a white key. Music in C major shows no sharps or flats at the start of every line.

Its relative minor is A minor: the same notes, starting from A. 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: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1

Coming down, use the same fingers in reverse.

Chords in C 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.

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