Piano Scales: Every Major and Minor Scale With Fingering

A piano scale is a row of notes played in order with set fingering. Major scales follow the pattern tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone; C major is C D E F G A B C, right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5. Below are all 12 major and 12 minor scales, with fingering and a player.

Updated 1 November 2026 · By the Classfern Music Department

UKUSWorks in the UK and the US. This version uses UK music words (bar, semitone, crotchet, stave); the US version uses measure, half step, quarter note and staff. · US version of this page

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Key facts

• A scale is a set of notes played in order, up or down, usually one or two octaves.
• Major scale pattern: tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone (T T S T T T S).
• There are 12 major and 12 minor scales; C major and A minor use only white keys.
• C, G, D, A and E major share one fingering: right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5, left hand 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1.
• Every minor key has three forms: natural, harmonic (raised 7th) and melodic (raised 6th and 7th going up).
• The pentatonic scale has 5 notes; the black keys alone make one.

Piano scale finder with fingering

Choose a key and a scale. The keys show the finger numbers for the hand you pick; press Play to hear it up and down, or load it into the falling-notes piano and practise in wait mode, where the music waits for you to find each note.

Key CC♯/D♭DD♯/E♭EFG♭/F♯GG♯/A♭AA♯/B♭BScale majornatural minorharmonic minormelodic minor (going up)major pentatonicminor pentatonicblueschromaticHand Right handLeft handBoth hands (shows right)Speed Slow (60)Medium (80)Quick (112)

1CC♯
D♭2DD♯
E♭3E1FF♯
G♭2GG♯
A♭3AA♯
B♭4B5CC♯
D♭DD♯
E♭EFF♯
G♭GG♯
A♭AA♯
B♭BC

C major: C D E F G A B C. Right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5; left hand 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 (1 = thumb).

Play up and downPractise it in the falling-notes piano

Partly marked In the falling-notes piano, wait mode counts your right notes; you judge whether the fingering and the evenness feel right.

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How do you play scales on the piano?

To play a piano scale, start on the key note with the finger given in the chart, play every note of the scale in order with one finger per key, and pass the thumb under (going up) or cross a finger over it (going down) so the line never breaks. Keep the wrist level and every note even.

For C major in the right hand: play C D E with fingers 1 2 3, tuck the thumb under to play F, then play G A B C with 2 3 4 5. Coming down, play 5 4 3 2 1 to F, cross finger 3 over the thumb onto E, and finish D C with 2 1. The left hand is the mirror: 5 4 3 2 1 from C to G, then finger 3 crosses over onto A.

1. Slowly, hands separately. About 60 beats a minute, one note per beat.
2. Watch the thumb. Move it under early so there is no bump.
3. Listen for evenness. Each note the same length and loudness. Record yourself on the virtual piano if you have no piano.
4. Then two octaves, then hands together. Most grade exams ask for hands together an octave apart.

What are the piano scales and their fingerings?

The 12 major scales and their one-octave fingerings are in the chart below. C, G, D, A and E major use right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 and left hand 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1; F, B and the black-key scales each have their own pattern, set so the thumb always plays a white key.

Fingering is written going up; coming down, play the same fingers in reverse. For two octaves, the 4th finger lands on the same note in every octave, which is the easiest way to remember each scale: in C major the right-hand 4th finger is always on B, and the left-hand 4th finger is always on D.

What is a piano scales chart?

A piano scales chart lists the notes of each scale, usually with the fingering, so you can find any scale quickly. Ours gives every major scale with both hands’ fingering, and every natural and harmonic minor scale, all as text you can print.

Read the major chart going round the circle of fifths: each scale adds one sharp (G, D, A, E, B, F♯) or, from F, one flat (F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭). Then the minor scales:

The harmonic minor fingering is shown for the seven keys where it matches the major scale on the same note (A, E, B, D, G, C and F minor). For F♯, C♯, G♯, E♭ and B♭ minor, the fingering is different from the major; your teacher or exam book will give it, and the rule of thumb is that the thumb never plays a black key.

Print the scales chart or save it as a PDF

What is the difference between major and minor scales?

A major scale has a major 3rd (4 semitones above the key note) and sounds bright; a minor scale has a minor 3rd (3 semitones) and sounds darker. Each major key shares its notes with a relative minor that starts three semitones lower: C major and A minor, G major and E minor.

Two more scales are worth learning early: the major pentatonic (C D E G A) and the blues scale (A C D E♭ E G), the starting point for improvising. Try both in the scale finder.

Which piano scales should beginners learn first?

Beginners usually learn C major first, then G, D, A and F major and A, E and D minor. C, G, D, A and E major all use the same fingering, so once C is comfortable the others need only new black keys, not new fingers.

Scales graded like Grade 1 piano exams typically include C, G, D and F major and A and D minor, hands separately, one or two octaves; later grades add hands together, more keys, contrary motion and chromatic scales. Exact lists differ by exam board and year, so check the current syllabus; our piano grades guide explains how the levels work. Classfern is not connected with or endorsed by any exam board.

Scales are also the best warm-up: they train the thumb, even fingers and the shapes of every key. For more exercises see piano technique and finger exercises.

The chromatic scale

The chromatic scale plays every key, white and black, 12 semitones to the octave. The usual fingering is simple: finger 3 plays every black key and the thumb plays the white keys, except where two white keys sit side by side (E–F and B–C), which take fingers 1 and 2. Hear it in the scale finder by choosing “chromatic”.

Classfern’s free piano scales chart and scale finder are part of the Classfern Music Department at lessonplanner.info. Everything works in your browser.

Quiz: piano scales

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