Explore the c sharp minor scale on piano: natural, harmonic and classical melodic notes, four sharps, sourced fingering, playback and chords.
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C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯
Direction: Ascending · C♯4 → C♯5 · Semitone movement: 2 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 2
| Notes | C♯4 | D♯4 | E4 | F♯4 | G♯4 | A4 | B4 | C♯5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fingers | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
One-octave fingering.
Finger numbers identify fingers, not scale degrees. Only one-octave, separately checked rows are shown.
Select every note used in C♯ Natural minor, ascending. This question checks the note set; octave and order do not matter.
Chosen: None
Attempt open · unassisted
C♯ - D♯ - E - F♯ - G♯ - A - B. Octave and order are not scored in this question.
C♯4 - D♯4 - E4 - F♯4 - G♯4 - A4 - B4 - C♯5
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 · C♯4-C♯5 · 4-beat count-in
This guide does not listen to your piano. Completion is self-reported.
PianoGrid
Key signature: F#, C#, G#, D#
C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯
Direction: Ascending · C♯4 → C♯5 · Semitone movement: 2 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 2
| Notes | C♯4 | D♯4 | E4 | F♯4 | G♯4 | A4 | B4 | C♯5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fingers | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
One-octave fingering.
One-octave reference. Finger numbers appear only for the hand and direction combinations covered by the sources listed above.
The c sharp minor scale in its natural form is C♯–D♯–E–F♯–G♯–A–B–C♯. The key signature has four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯, shared with E major. D♯–E and G♯–A are its half steps. E stays natural: it is the minor third above C♯.
For the c sharp minor scale in harmonic form, raise B to B♯ on ascent and descent. Classical melodic ascent also raises A to A♯: C♯–D♯–E–F♯–G♯–A♯–B♯–C♯. Descend C♯–B–A–G♯–F♯–E–D♯–C♯. B♯ uses the physical C key but retains the seventh letter name.
The c sharp minor scale display uses treble clef for the right hand and bass clef for the left hand. Natural-minor finger rows come from the C♯ row of the source staff; its left hand ends on finger 2. Harmonic ascent uses a separately sourced version ending on LH finger 3. Harmonic descent and melodic fingers remain Notes only.
Practise the c sharp minor scale by comparing G♯–A–B–C♯ with G♯–A–B♯–C♯. Then select classical melodic minor to hear A♯–B♯ on ascent and A–B on descent. Name B♯ before playing its white key. Keep the exercise within one octave and practise each hand separately.
Each degree of C♯ natural minor 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.
E major is the relative major of C♯ minor. Both keys use the same notes and key signature, but the major key starts on degree 3.
C♯ natural minor uses four black keys: C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯.
On a narrow screen, scroll this table horizontally to read every column.
| Degree | Note | Degree name | Triad | Triad notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C♯ | Tonic | i · C♯ minor | C♯ – E – G♯ |
| 2 | D♯ | Supertonic | ii° · D♯ diminished | D♯ – F♯ – A |
| 3 | E | Mediant | III · E major | E – G♯ – B |
| 4 | F♯ | Subdominant | iv · F♯ minor | F♯ – A – C♯ |
| 5 | G♯ | Dominant | v · G♯ minor | G♯ – B – D♯ |
| 6 | A | Submediant | VI · A major | A – C♯ – E |
| 7 | B | Subtonic | VII · B major | B – D♯ – F♯ |
In natural minor, the chord on degree 5 is minor. Harmonic minor raises degree 7 from B to B♯, the leading tone. That makes the dominant chord major and gives V7, the dominant seventh of C♯ minor. G♯7: G♯ – B♯ – D♯ – F♯.
The natural c sharp minor scale uses C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A and B. Harmonic minor changes B to B♯. Classical melodic minor ascends with A♯ and B♯, then restores A and B on descent. The key signature remains four sharps.
B♯ names degree 7 of the c sharp minor scale in harmonic form; C♯ is degree 1. Writing C natural would repeat the C letter and omit B. B♯ and C natural share a piano key in equal temperament, but the staff spelling explains their different roles.
The c sharp minor scale has source-checked natural-minor rows for both hands and directions, plus harmonic-minor ascent. Other combinations display Notes only. One-octave rows are not two-octave fingering instructions; the natural and harmonic left-hand endpoint choices differ in these sources.
Sources below are limited to the note, theory, fingering, or editorial scope recorded for this page. A source record is not the same as a teacher review.
Supports: Exact notes of all three minor forms, key signature and relative major; natural-minor ascent fingers only. Descending melodic note collection is presented low to high in the source and put into descending performance order here.
Location: Natural, harmonic and melodic minor sections; natural-minor ascending note/finger list.
Supports: C-sharp/B-flat natural minor one-octave RH/LH ascent and descent; A-flat note comparison only, not its ambiguous RH descent. Display registers are editorial whole-octave adaptations; fingers are transcribed, not inferred. C-sharp major on page 1 is not a D-flat spelling source.
Location: PDF page 1 A-flat major; page 2 C-sharp and B-flat natural minor; RH above and LH below.
Supports: C-sharp and B-flat harmonic minor ascending fingers only. Physical C is spelled B-sharp for C-sharp minor, as the source overview specifies. A#/Bb diagram is explicitly paired with the Bb overview spelling; matching physical pitches are recorded in the batch ledger. No descent or melodic fingering.
Location: C# / Db and A# / Bb sections, eight-note ascending lists and LH/RH rows; theoretical spelling in overview.
Supports: Classical melodic-minor direction convention and C-sharp/B-flat pitch collections; no fingering. Source physical C is retained as theoretical B-sharp on the C-sharp page.
Location: Opening classical convention, C# / Db and A# / Bb sections.
Supports: interval rules minor forms and classical directions relative versus parallel keys
Location: Key Takeaways; Natural Minor; Harmonic Minor; Melodic Minor
Supports: Pitch step, alter, octave; C4 convention; key signature fifths positive/negative
Location: Key and Pitch, lines 80–119
Supports: Official public entry for the Standard MIDI Files specification
Location: Standard MIDI Files overview