Berklee PULSE — B Major Scale – Piano Notes & Practice
B major note spelling and five-sharp key signature
B Major contains B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#. Repeat B at the top to complete one octave. Its key signature has 5 sharps.
B Major Scale on Piano
The B major scale uses B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯ and A♯. See the five-sharp key signature, keyboard and one-octave fingering for both hands, then practice the scale.
Starting noteB
Key signatureF#, C#, G#, D#, A#
Range1 octave
Current scale
B Major
B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A♯ – B
Direction: Ascending · B4 → B5 · Semitone movement: 2 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 1
Tempo60 BPM
Ascending
Fingering from the listed sources| Notes | B4 | C♯5 | D♯5 | E5 | F♯5 | G♯5 | A♯5 | B5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fingers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
One-octave fingering.
Keyboard
B4 to B5B4C5C♯5D5D♯5E5F5F♯5G5G♯5A5A♯5B5
Sources
- Berklee PULSE: B Major Scale – Piano Notes & PracticeB major note spelling and five-sharp key signature
- LearnMusicTheory.net / High-Yield Music Theory: Major and Natural Minor Scales for Piano with FingeringsOne-octave major-scale spelling and fingering for both hands, ascending and descending A natural minor one-octave fingerings
- Music Fun / Beatrice Wilder: Major Scale Fingering Charts for KeyboardsOne-octave ascending and descending fingerings for C, G, D, A, E, B, F, B♭ and E♭ major
Finger numbers identify fingers, not scale degrees. Only one-octave, separately checked rows are shown.
Practice task
Check the notes
Select every note used in B Major, ascending. This question checks the note set; octave and order do not matter.
Chosen: None
Attempt open · unassisted
Answer reference: B Major, ascending - note set
B - C♯ - D♯ - E - F♯ - G♯ - A♯. Octave and order are not scored in this question.
Answer reference: B Major, ascending - right hand
B4 - C♯5 - D♯5 - E5 - F♯5 - G♯5 - A♯5 - B5
Single-hand guide
60 BPMPractice with a pulse
This guide does not listen to your piano. Completion is self-reported. The staff is a pitch reference; the pulse controls timing.
Practice tempo: 60 BPM · 1 octave · Right hand · B4-B5 · 4-beat count-in
This guide does not listen to your piano. Completion is self-reported.
PianoGrid
B Major
Key signature: F#, C#, G#, D#, A#
Current scale
B Major
B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A♯ – B
Direction: Ascending · B4 → B5 · Semitone movement: 2 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 1
Ascending
Fingering from the listed sources| Notes | B4 | C♯5 | D♯5 | E5 | F♯5 | G♯5 | A♯5 | B5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fingers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
One-octave fingering.
Keyboard
B4 to B5B4C5C♯5D5D♯5E5F5F♯5G5G♯5A5A♯5B5
Sources
- Berklee PULSE: B Major Scale – Piano Notes & Practice (https://pulse.berklee.edu/scales/b-major-scale.html)B major note spelling and five-sharp key signature
- LearnMusicTheory.net / High-Yield Music Theory: Major and Natural Minor Scales for Piano with Fingerings (https://learnmusictheory.net/PDFs/pdffiles/01-02-07-ScalesforPiano.pdf)One-octave major-scale spelling and fingering for both hands, ascending and descending A natural minor one-octave fingerings
- Music Fun / Beatrice Wilder: Major Scale Fingering Charts for Keyboards (https://www.musicfun.net.au/pdf_files/scale_fingering_maj.pdf)One-octave ascending and descending fingerings for C, G, D, A, E, B, F, B♭ and E♭ major
One-octave reference. Finger numbers appear only for the hand and direction combinations covered by the sources listed above.
B Major notes
Five sharps still leave E natural
B major uses five black keys, while B and E remain natural. The half-step pairs are D♯–E and A♯–B. Do not add an E-sharp just because this is a sharp key: E is the fourth degree in the verified note spelling.
One-octave fingering
This left-hand version begins B–C♯–D♯–E with 4–3–2–1. The thumb therefore reaches E before finger 4 crosses to F♯. The right hand begins with its thumb on B and uses 1–2–3–1–2–3–4–5. Each hand has its own starting finger.
A short practice check
Suggested drill: practice the left-hand opening four notes, then connect E to F♯ using 1–4. On the return, check F♯–E with 4–1. Complete one octave before increasing the range. Keep the B-major spelling in the staff and note labels even when comparing with an enharmonic scale.
Chords and scale degrees in B major
Each degree of B major has a name, and stacking every other note from that degree gives the triad built on it. Roman numerals use capitals for major triads, lower case for minor and ° for diminished.
G♯ minor is the relative minor of B major. Both keys use the same notes and key signature, but the minor key starts on degree 6.
B major uses five black keys: C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and A♯.
On a narrow screen, scroll this table horizontally to read every column.
| Degree | Note | Degree name | Triad | Triad notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | Tonic | I · B major | B – D♯ – F♯ |
| 2 | C♯ | Supertonic | ii · C♯ minor | C♯ – E – G♯ |
| 3 | D♯ | Mediant | iii · D♯ minor | D♯ – F♯ – A♯ |
| 4 | E | Subdominant | IV · E major | E – G♯ – B |
| 5 | F♯ | Dominant | V · F♯ major | F♯ – A♯ – C♯ |
| 6 | G♯ | Submediant | vi · G♯ minor | G♯ – B – D♯ |
| 7 | A♯ | Leading tone | vii° · A♯ diminished | A♯ – C♯ – E |
Adding a seventh to the dominant triad gives V7, the dominant seventh of B major. F♯7: F♯ – A♯ – C♯ – E.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes and key signature of B major?
The one-octave ascending notes are B–C#–D#–E–F#–G#–A#–B. The key signature contains 5 sharps: F#, C#, G#, D#, A#. These accidentals also apply in descent.
Why does the left hand start B major with finger 4?
The cited left-hand row begins 4–3–2–1 on B–C#–D#–E, then continues 4–3–2–1 on F#–G#–A#–B. Starting with finger 4 belongs to that documented grouping. Do not replace it with the C-major pattern or claim it is the only choice in all musical contexts.
Which fingers are used by each hand ascending and descending over one octave?
This source-documented one-octave reference shows right hand ascending 1–2–3–1–2–3–4–5 and descending 5–4–3–2–1–3–2–1; left hand ascending 4–3–2–1–4–3–2–1 and descending 1–2–3–4–1–2–3–4. Read each row in playing order. These are sourced choices, not the only possible fingerings, and must not be repeated mechanically for a second octave.
What should I check during a short practice run?
Suggested drill: practice the left-hand opening four notes, then connect E to F♯ using 1–4. On the return, check F♯–E with 4–1. Complete one octave before increasing the range. Keep the B-major spelling in the staff and note labels even when comparing with an enharmonic scale.
Sources
References for the notes, patterns and examples on this page.
LearnMusicTheory.net / High-Yield Music Theory — Major and Natural Minor Scales for Piano with Fingerings
One-octave major-scale spelling and fingering for both hands, ascending and descending A natural minor one-octave fingerings
Music Fun / Beatrice Wilder — Major Scale Fingering Charts for Keyboards
One-octave ascending and descending fingerings for C, G, D, A, E, B, F, B♭ and E♭ major
Open Music Theory / Hybrid Pedagogy Publishing — Scales and scale degrees
Major-scale W–W–H–W–W–W–H rule; ascending/descending scale definition; half step is adjacent keyboard pitches; tonic repeated at octave
W3C Music Notation Community Group — The MIDI-Compatible Part of MusicXML 4.0
Pitch step, alter, octave; C4 convention; key signature fifths positive/negative
The MIDI Association — Standard MIDI Files
Official public entry for the Standard MIDI Files specification
Baylor University / Michael Clark — 23. One-Octave Major Scales
Explicit one-octave C,G,D,A,E fingering applicability; F RH crossing at Bb–C; B LH starting finger 4 and thumb E; finger-number role