2/2/23, 2:47 PM Piano Major Scales - overview with pictures

Piano scales
Scales source and guide for musicians

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Piano Major Scales
PIANO SCALES Major scales are the most important piano scales: firstly, because they
are very common and, secondly, because they are fundamental to
Piano Major
understand keys. If you hear someone mention that a piano sonata by
Scales
the composer and pianist Franz Schubert is played in A Major, it means
Piano Minor that it depends on the A Scale.
Scales

Blues Scale Piano
Jazz Scale Piano
Pentatonic Scales
You can scroll down and see keyboard images all Major scales. Further down,
you will see an overview with all the notes together with intervals, semi-tones
and the formula of the Major Scale. This theory helps you learn the concepts and
memorizing it easier. See also Major scales exercises and arpeggios.

Exotic scales
C Major
Questions &
answers

RESOURCES

Piano Scales Chart

Notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
Printable Scales Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Fingerings

Exercises D Major

Theory

EXTRAS

Sheet music

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Backing tracks

Membership

Search... E Major

Notes: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D

Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Notes: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#, E

Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

F Major

Notes: F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F
Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4

G Major

Notes: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G
Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

A Major

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B Major
Notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A
Fingering (LH): 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Major scales digital

poster
Notes: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B
Fingering (LH): 4, 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1 This hi-res digital poster
Fingering (RH): 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 includes all Major scales,
but also all Minor scales

C# / Db Major together with major and

minor chords.
Diagrams and note letters
are visible.
The digital poster is in pdf
A3 format.

Notes: Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, Db

Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3
See Printable scales -

Fingering (RH): 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2 digital posters for more

info

D# / Eb Major

Major Scales overview

C: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
C#/Db: C#, D#, E# (F),
F#, G#, A#, B#, C# / Db,
Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, Db
Notes: Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb D: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3 D#/Eb: D#, E# (F), F##
Fingering (RH): 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3 (G), G#, A#, B# (C), C##
(D), D# / Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb,
F# / Gb Major C, D, Eb
E: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#,
D#, E
F: F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F

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F#/Gb: F#, G#, A#, B,

C#, D#, E#, F# / Gb, Ab,
Bb, Cb (B), Db, Eb, F, Gb
G: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G
G#/Ab: G#, A#, B#, C#,
D#, E#, F## (G), G# / Ab,
Notes: F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D#, F, F#
G# / Ab Major
Fingering (LH): 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 4
Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab

Fingering (RH): 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2 A: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#,

A
A#/Bb: A#, B# (C), C##
(D), D#, E# (F), F## (G),
G## (A), A# / Bb, C, D,

Notes: Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab Eb, F, G, A, Bb

Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3 B: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#,

Fingering (RH): 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 A#, B (Cb: Cb, Db, Eb, Fb,
Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb)

A# / Bb Major
Fingering: 1 = Thumb | 2
= index finger | 3 = middle
finger | 4 = ring finger | 5
= little finger.
LH = Left hand | RH =
Right hand
Notes: Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb
Fingering (LH): 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, 3
Fingering (RH): 4, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4 Intervals and steps
Intervals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7
Semi-notes: 2 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 -
1
Formula: Whole, Whole, Half,
Whole, Whole, Whole, Half

Major scales with note letters

(sheet music PDF)

The Major scales in musical notation are available in the member

area.

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2/2/23, 2:47 PM Piano Major Scales - overview with pictures

The scale in all keys with fingerings (without note names) can be downloaded
as PDF-files.

The Major scales in graphic compilation are available in the member

area.
A collection of keyboard charts can be downloaded as a PDF-file.

The intervals and steps are important to learn. These are always the
same for scales in a specific category. This helps you a lot until you have
memorized all the scales and vice versa: you don’t need to memorize
them if you know the intervals. The nature of the intervals labels the
Major Scale as a diatonic scale.

Understand the names

Some of the scales have two names divided by a slash (e.g. C# and Db),
because they can be played in two different keys. The notes are, however, the
same on the keyboard. As an example, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B#, C# and
Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, Db (as in C# / Db scales) are the same notes but partly
written differently. In some cases, there are double-sharps (e.g. F##) that can
look peculiar, see theory for an explanation. Also, the notes in the diagrams and
the notes in the overview below sometimes differ. This is because the notes
below the diagrams are foremost thought to be easy to understand.

Scales and chords

As soon as you know a certain major scale, you can easier grasp the chords in
the same key. That is because you can randomly choose three different notes
from a scale and you will get a triad. In the key of C, for instance, the standard
chords being used are:

C Major (notes: C - E - G)
D Minor (notes: D - F - A)
E Minor (notes: E - G - B)
F Major (notes: F - A - C)
G Major (notes: G - B - D)
A Minor (notes: A - C - E)
B Diminished (notes: B - D - F)

See harmonizing major scales into chords.

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An easy way to start improvising on the piano is to play major scales together
with the chords that use the same notes. To explain further: you can play chords
like C, Em, F, G and Am together with the C Major Scale. Preferable is to play
chords with your left hand and notes from the scale with your right (more on
improvisation).

An interesting thing is that different major scales have their own “sounds”. For
example, C is suitable for ballads and Eb can sound a bit like Bach.

See also: Harmonic Major Scales

Backing tracks
Backing tracks for major scales presented by Pianoscales.org. You can play
piano to these tracks by using the Major scales.

Track list (selection)

C Major Soft Ballad

0:00 / 3:53
Show scale

D Major White Shade Pop

0:00 / 4:28
Show scale

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E Major Pop

0:00 / 3:19

Show scale

All tracks are available for members. Become a member.

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