Piano scales
All 12 major and 12 minor scales, ordered around the circle of fifths so each scale adds one sharp or flat. Start with C major: it uses only white keys.
Major scales
| Scale | Notes | Key signature |
|---|---|---|
| C major | C D E F G A B | none |
| G major | G A B C D E F♯ | 1 ♯ |
| D major | D E F♯ G A B C♯ | 2 ♯ |
| A major | A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ | 3 ♯ |
| E major | E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯ | 4 ♯ |
| B major | B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯ | 5 ♯ |
| F♯ major | F♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E♯ | 6 ♯ |
| D♭ major | D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C | 5 ♭ |
| A♭ major | A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G | 4 ♭ |
| E♭ major | E♭ F G A♭ B♭ C D | 3 ♭ |
| B♭ major | B♭ C D E♭ F G A | 2 ♭ |
| F major | F G A B♭ C D E | 1 ♭ |
Natural minor scales
| Scale | Notes | Key signature |
|---|---|---|
| A minor | A B C D E F G | none |
| E minor | E F♯ G A B C D | 1 ♯ |
| B minor | B C♯ D E F♯ G A | 2 ♯ |
| F♯ minor | F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E | 3 ♯ |
| C♯ minor | C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B | 4 ♯ |
| G♯ minor | G♯ A♯ B C♯ D♯ E F♯ | 5 ♯ |
| E♭ minor | E♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ | 6 ♭ |
| B♭ minor | B♭ C D♭ E♭ F G♭ A♭ | 5 ♭ |
| F minor | F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ | 4 ♭ |
| C minor | C D E♭ F G A♭ B♭ | 3 ♭ |
| G minor | G A B♭ C D E♭ F | 2 ♭ |
| D minor | D E F G A B♭ C | 1 ♭ |
Why practice scales?
Scales train the thumb crossing that every melody needs, teach your fingers the shape of each key, and make reading music faster because you start to recognize patterns instead of single notes. Five minutes at the start of a practice session is enough.