C Major contains C, D, E, F, G, A, B. Repeat C at the top to complete one octave. Its key signature has no sharps or flats.
C Major Piano Scale: Notes and Fingering
See C major notes, key signature, keyboard pitches and separately verified one-octave fingering for each hand and direction.
Starting noteC
Key signatureNo sharps or flats
Range1 octave
Tempo60 BPM
Current scale
C Major
C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C
Semitone steps: 2 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 1
Ascending
Fingering from the listed sources| Notes | C4 | D4 | E4 | F4 | G4 | A4 | B4 | C5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fingers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Keyboard
C4 to C5C4C#4Db4D4D#4Eb4E4F4F#4Gb4G4G#4Ab4A4A#4Bb4B4C5
Sources and checking scope
- Berklee PULSE: C Major Scale – Piano Notes & PracticeChecked for: C major note spelling and its key signature.
- LearnMusicTheory.net / High-Yield Music Theory: Major and Natural Minor Scales for Piano with FingeringsChecked for: C major one-octave note spelling and fingering for both hands, ascending and descending.
- Music Fun / Beatrice Wilder: Major Scale Fingering Charts for KeyboardsChecked for: Independent comparison of that one-octave fingering for both hands and directions.
Finger numbers identify fingers, not scale degrees. Only one-octave, separately checked rows are shown.
PianoGrid
C Major
Key signature: No sharps or flats
Current scale
C Major
C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C
Semitone steps: 2 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 1
Ascending
Fingering from the listed sources| Notes | C4 | D4 | E4 | F4 | G4 | A4 | B4 | C5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fingers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Keyboard
C4 to C5C4C#4Db4D4D#4Eb4E4F4F#4Gb4G4G#4Ab4A4A#4Bb4B4C5
Sources and checking scope
- Berklee PULSE: C Major Scale – Piano Notes & Practice (https://pulse.berklee.edu/scales/c-major-scale.html)Checked for: C major note spelling and its 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)Checked for: C major one-octave note spelling and fingering for both hands, ascending and descending.
- Music Fun / Beatrice Wilder: Major Scale Fingering Charts for Keyboards (https://www.musicfun.net.au/pdf_files/scale_fingering_maj.pdf)Checked for: Independent comparison of that one-octave fingering for both hands and directions.
One-octave reference. Finger numbers appear only for the hand and direction combinations covered by the sources listed above.
C Major notes
White keys, unequal distances
C major uses only white keys, but those keys are not equally spaced in pitch. E–F and B–C are half steps; the other adjacent pairs in the scale are whole steps. Keep that distinction when checking the keyboard against the staff. Beginning on another white key does not preserve the C-major tonic.
One-octave fingering
In this one-octave version, the right hand crosses from E with finger 3 to F with the thumb. The left hand crosses from G with the thumb to A with finger 3. Read the separate descending row when coming back. Finger numbers identify the fingers, not the scale degrees.
A short practice check
Suggested drill: play C–D–E, pause, then continue F–G–A–B–C with the printed right-hand fingers. Next, connect E–F without the pause. With the left hand, isolate G–A instead. Finish with one unhurried ascent and descent, saying each note name.