B major scale

The B major scale is B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯ and A♯, with five sharps. From B, the steps go whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

  1. B1
  2. whole
  3. C♯2
  4. whole
  5. D♯3
  6. half
  7. E4
  8. whole
  9. F♯5
  10. whole
  11. G♯6
  12. whole
  13. A♯7
  14. half
  15. B8
B1E1B5C♯2D♯3F♯2G♯3A♯4

B major on the staff, piano and guitar

On the staff

♯♯♯♯♯BC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯B♯♯♯♯♯BC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯B

On piano

Right hand 1 2 3, then the thumb passes under to E: 1 2 3 4 5.

B4E1B1C♯3D♯2F♯4G♯3A♯2

Left hand 4 3 2 1, then finger 4 crosses over to F♯: 4 3 2 1.

Fingers are numbered from the thumb, 1, to the little finger, 5. Coming down, play the same fingers in reverse.

On guitar

678910EBGDAEA♯BC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯BC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯BC♯

Every note of B major between the 6th and 10th fret. The root, B, has a heavy ring.

How to play the B major scale on piano

  1. Find B, the white key just right of a group of three black keys.
  2. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to C♯, a black key.
  3. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to D♯, a black key.
  4. Go up a half step, to the very next key, to E.
  5. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to F♯, a black key.
  6. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to G♯, a black key.
  7. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to A♯, a black key.
  8. Go up a half step, to the very next key, to B, an octave above where you started.

Practice the B major scale

Play the B major scale one note a beat, up and back down: B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯ B A♯ G♯ F♯ E D♯ C♯ B. Hands separately first. Start at 60 beats a minute and move up toward 100 once every note lands on the beat.

B
  1. B
  2. C♯
  3. D♯
  4. E
  5. F♯
  6. G♯
  7. A♯
  8. B
  9. A♯
  10. G♯
  11. F♯
  12. E
  13. D♯
  14. C♯
  15. B

The key of B major

Follow the major pattern from B and five notes need a sharp: C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and A♯. Those five sharps are the key signature.

Relative minor
G♯ minor
Parallel minor
B minor
Neighbors on the circle of fifths
E major and F♯ major
♯♯♯♯♯CAmGEmDBmAF♯mEIVC♯miiBC♭IG♯mA♭mviF♯G♭VD♯mE♭miiiD♭C♯B♭mA♯mA♭FmE♭CmB♭GmFDmB major
B major on the circle of fifths, with the chords of its key marked.

The name of each note in the key

  1. 1Btonic
  2. 2C♯supertonic
  3. 3D♯mediant
  4. 4Esubdominant
  5. 5F♯dominant
  6. 6G♯submediant
  7. 7A♯leading tone

Chords in B major

Build a chord on each note of the scale, using only the scale's notes, and you get the seven chords of the key. The numeral is the chord's place in the key: capitals for major, small letters for minor.

  1. IB
  2. iiC♯m
  3. iiiD♯m
  4. IVE
  5. VF♯
  6. viG♯m
  7. vii°A♯dim

Modes on the same notes

Start the B major scale on another of its notes and you get a mode, with the same key signature: B ionian, C♯ dorian, D♯ phrygian, E lydian, F♯ mixolydian, G♯ aeolian, A♯ locrian.

Practice notes for the B major scale

B major has five sharps, F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ A♯: B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯ B. Five black keys sounds like a lot, but the right hand plays it with the same fingering as C major, 1 2 3, thumb under to E, then 1 2 3 4 5. Only E and B are white, and the thumb plays both.

Where it goes wrong. The left hand. Starting on finger 5, the way C, G, D, A and E major do, puts the thumb on F♯ four notes later. B major’s left hand starts on finger 4 instead: 4 3 2 1 for B C♯ D♯ E, then finger 4 crosses over to F♯, and 4 3 2 1 again up to B.

How to practice it. Play the left hand alone until starting on 4 stops feeling odd. It is two groups of four, the same fingers twice, and the thumb lands on E and then on B. Once the left hand is steady, add the right, which needs almost no new learning.

What to listen for. A♯ to B at the top and D♯ to E in the middle, the two half steps. Both lead from a black key to a white one, so a weak thumb on E or B shows up straight away.

What to learn next. G♯ minor, the relative minor with the same five sharps, and E major again, to compare one sharp fewer. C♭ major is the same keys spelled with seven flats; this site lists it here, under B major.

Questions

What are the notes of the B major scale?

B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯ and A♯, then B again an octave up.

What chords are in the key of B major?

B, C♯m, D♯m, E, F♯, G♯m and A♯dim: I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi and vii°.

Why does B major have five sharps?

Follow the major pattern from B and five notes need a sharp: C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and A♯. Those five sharps are the key signature.

What is the relative minor of B major?

G♯ minor. It uses the same notes and the same key signature, starting on G♯.