Major scales
C major scale
The C major scale is C D E F G A B C: no sharps or flats. Here it is for both hands with the standard fingering, one or two octaves, to listen to and play along with.
- No sharps or flats
- Relative minor: A minor
- RH 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5
- LH 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
Listen with the cursor following the notes, or play along: the music waits for each note, and the keys show which finger to use.
The notes
C major is the scale with no sharps or flats: white keys only. It is the first scale most pianists learn, and its fingering is the pattern G, D, A and E major use too.
| Degree | Note | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tonic | C | 1 | 5 |
| 2Supertonic | D | 2 | 4 |
| 3Mediant | E | 3 | 3 |
| 4Subdominant | F | 1 | 2 |
| 5Dominant | G | 2 | 1 |
| 6Submediant | A | 3 | 3 |
| 7Leading note | B | 4 | 2 |
| 8Tonic | C | 5 | 1 |
Key signature
C major has no sharps or flats. With nothing in the key signature, every note is a white key.
Fingering
Right hand: 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 going up. Going up, the thumb passes under the third finger from E to F. The fourth finger plays B: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is. Over two octaves, the C in the middle takes the thumb instead of the fifth finger, and the pattern starts again.
Left hand: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 going up. Going up, the third finger crosses over the thumb from G to A. The fourth finger plays D: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is. Over two octaves, the left hand starts on the fifth finger only once, at the bottom; the C in the middle takes the thumb.
With no black keys to steady it, the hand tends to bump at the crossing. Let the right thumb travel under the palm while the third finger plays E, so it is already over F when it’s needed. The left hand crosses its third finger over the thumb onto A going up, and the thumb passes under onto G coming down.
Chords in C major
The triads built on each note of the scale. I, IV and V, the three major chords, are the chords most songs in this key are built on.
Music in C major
- Bach’s Prelude in C major, the first piece of the Well-Tempered Clavier (BWV 846)
- Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 16, K. 545, the “Sonata facile”
- Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata, Op. 53
How to practise it
- Hands separately first, slowly, saying the finger numbers. Fingering learned slowly stays; fingering found at speed changes every time.
- Practise the thumb crossings alone: play just the notes either side of each crossing, back and forth, until the thumb is in place before it’s needed.
- Then hands together, one octave, then two. The hands cross their thumbs at different places, which is what makes scales hands together hard at first.
- Use “Play along” above: it waits for each note, so you can check every note and finger at your own pace. Then Listen at ♩ = 72 and play with it.
Quick answers
- How many sharps are in C major?
- C major has no sharps or flats.
- What is the fingering for the C major scale?
- Right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5, left hand 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1, going up one octave from C (1 is the thumb). Coming down, the same fingers in reverse.
- What is the relative minor of C major?
- A minor. It has the same key signature, no sharps or flats, and starts on the sixth note of the C major scale.
Scales, then real music
Pianomi is a free app that listens to your MIDI keyboard. It takes you through scales and arpeggios at a steady tempo, grading every note and beat, and gives you new music to sight-read every day, at your level.