C Major Scale - Piano Notes

The C-major scale is one of the most fundamental and commonly used scales in Western music. It’s a major scale, meaning it has a bright and cheerful sound.

What are the notes in the C-major scale?

The C-major scale consists of seven notes:
C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.

The following images show the C major scale notes on the piano keyboard and sheet music.

In the first image, the notes are displayed on a keyboard, illustrating how C to B form a C major scale, with C highlighted as the starting point and B being the last note of the C major scale.

The second image demonstrates how the C major scale is written on sheet music, specifically on treble clef staff lines.

To play the C-major scale, start on C and play seven notes, going up and then down. The eighth note is C again, of the next octave.

These notes are played in ascending or descending order, starting with C and ending on the note C of the next octave.

How is the C-major scale constructed?

The C-major scale is constructed by following a specific pattern of intervals, or distances between the notes.

The pattern is:
(W W H – W W W H)
W means the Whole step and H means Half step.
So, the pattern for C major scale is: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step.

A whole step is equal to two half steps, or two semitones. For example, the distance from C to D is a whole step, and the distance from E to F is a half step.

C Major Scale Songs

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Christmas Song: Jingle Bells

Merry Christmas - Ed Sheeran and Elton John

Stressed Out - Twenty One Pilots

Finger Position for the C Major

What is the finger position for the C major scale?

The finger position for the C major scale depends on whether you are playing with your right hand or your left hand.

Here are some general guidelines, first with the right hand and then with the left hand, for playing the C major scale on the piano.

C Major Scale: Right Hand Finger Positions

Fingering for the Ascending C Major Scale

1-2-3 – 1-2-3-4-5
(thumb on C, index on D, middle on E, etc.)

This is the most common fingering for beginners, starting with the thumb on middle C and using all fingers in sequence.

So, for the right hand, when going up the scale,

thumb plays C,
second finger (index) plays D,
third finger (middle finger) plays E, and then

thumb crosses under to play F.

second finger plays G,
third finger plays A,
fourth finger (ring finger) plays B, and
the fifth finger (pinky) plays C.

Fingering for the Descending C Major Scale

For C Major Descending Scale

Descending: 5-4-3-2-1 – 3-2-1
(pinky on C, ring finger on B, middle on A, etc.)

To go down the scale from C5 to C4, i.e., C,B,A,G,F,E, D, and again C, the same fingers are used.

C Major Scale: Left Hand Finger Positions

Ascending: 5-4-3-2-1-3-2-1 (mirror image of right hand)

Descending: 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5 (mirror image of right hand)

While mirroring the right hand is a common approach, many pianists develop their own fingering variations on the left hand for comfort and musical phrasing. Some prefer using the thumb under for more control in the lower octave or starting with the third finger on E in the ascending version.

The finger position for the C major scale depends on whether you are playing with your right hand or your left hand and how many octaves you want to play. However, knowing finger position for a scale allows for smooth and efficient movement across the keyboard while maintaining good hand position. It also promotes smooth transitioning between octaves and maintains hand symmetry.

What are the frequencies on a C-major scale?

The specific pitches in a C-major scale depend on the octave, or the range of the notes.

The standard octave for the C-major scale is the fourth octave, which starts from middle C (C4) and ends at C5.

Each pitch in the scale corresponds to a specific frequency in Hertz (Hz). The frequencies of the notes in the C-major scale can vary slightly depending on the tuning system used (e.g., equal temperament, just intonation). In equal temperament, which is the most common tuning system, the frequencies of the notes in this octave are approximately as follows:

C4 (261.63 Hz),
D4 (293.66 Hz),
E4 (329.63 Hz),
F4 (349.23 Hz),
G4 (392.00 Hz),
A4 (440.00 Hz),
B4 (493.88 Hz), and
C5 (523.25 Hz).

Cortical representation of musical pitch

What is the Key Signature for C major?

A key signature is a set of sharps or flats that appear at the beginning of a sheet of music to indicate the key in which a piece of music is written.

As there are no flats or sharps in the C major scale, the key signatures on sheet music for C major have no flats or sharps.

To learn more about the significance of understanding key signatures, please visit Key Signature: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started.

Key Signature: A Beginner’s Guide

Are there any accidentals in a C-major scale?

No, there are no accidentals on a C-major scale.

Accidentals are symbols that modify the pitch of a note, such as sharps (#) or flats (b).

As we discussed in the last question, the C-major scale has no sharps or flats in its key signature.

The presence of any shrpas or flats in the key signature indicates the accidentals that apply to the whole scale or piece of music.

The C-major scale is the only major scale that has no accidentals.

Can a C-major scale be played on different instruments?

Yes, a C-major scale can be played on different instruments, as long as they can produce the notes in the scale.

Some instruments, such as the guitar or the violin, have different ways of fingering or tuning the notes, but the sound is the same.

Other instruments, such as the trumpet or the saxophone, have different transpositions, which means they play the notes in a different key, but the relative intervals are the same.

For example, a C-major scale on a B-flat trumpet sounds like a B-flat major scale on a piano.

How is a C-major scale used in music theory?

A C-major scale is used in music theory as a reference point for many concepts and rules.

For example, the C-major scale is used to define the major mode, which is one of the seven modes of the diatonic scale.

The major mode is characterized by having a major third and a major seventh degree.

The C-major scale is also used to derive the circle of fifths, which is a diagram that shows the relationships between the 12 major and minor keys.

The circle of fifths starts from C and moves clockwise by adding one sharp or counterclockwise by adding one flat to each key.

How does the C-major scale relate to other scales in music theory?

The C-major scale relates to other scales in music theory in various ways.

For example, the C-major scale has a relative minor scale, which is the A-minor scale.

The relative minor scale has the same notes and key signature as the major scale, but starts from the sixth degree.

The C-major scale also has a parallel minor scale, which is the C-minor scale.

The parallel minor scale has the same tonic (first note) as the major scale, but a different key signature and intervals.

The C-major scale can also be altered by changing some of its notes, creating different modes or scales, such as the C Lydian scale or the C harmonic minor scale.

Are there any variations of the C-major scale?

Yes, there are many variations of the C-major scale, depending on how you change some of its notes.

For example, you can raise the fourth degree of the C-major scale by a half step, creating the C Lydian scale: C, D, E, F#, G, A, B.

The Lydian scale is one of the seven modes of the diatonic scale, and it has a bright and uplifting sound.

Another example is lowering the third and seventh degree of the C-major scale by a half step, creating the C harmonic minor scale: C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, B.

The harmonic minor scale is a common scale in classical music, and it has a distinctive sound due to the augmented second interval between the sixth and seventh degree.

What is the relative minor scale of C-major?

The relative minor scale of C-major is the A-minor scale. The A-minor scale has the same notes and key signature as the C-major scale, but starts from the sixth degree. The A-minor scale is: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A. The relative minor scale has a darker and sadder sound than the major scale.