C sharp major scale

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

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

C♯ major on the staff, piano and guitar

On the staff

♯♯♯♯♯♯♯C♯D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♯C♯♯♯♯♯♯♯♯C♯D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♯C♯

On piano

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

E♯1B♯1C♯3D♯2F♯4G♯3A♯2C♯3

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

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

On guitar

89101112EBGDAEB♯C♯D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♯C♯D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♯C♯D♯

Every note of C♯ major between the 8th and 12th fret. The root, C♯, has a heavy ring.

How to play the C sharp major scale on piano

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

Practice the C♯ major scale

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

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

The key of C♯ major

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

Relative minor
A♯ minor
Parallel minor
C♯ minor
Neighbors on the circle of fifths
F♯ major and G♯ major
♯♯♯♯♯♯♯CAmGEmDBmAF♯mEC♯mBC♭G♯mA♭mF♯G♭IVD♯mE♭miiD♭C♯IB♭mA♯mviA♭VFmiiiE♭CmB♭GmFDmC♯ major
C♯ major on the circle of fifths, with the chords of its key marked.

The name of each note in the key

  1. 1C♯tonic
  2. 2D♯supertonic
  3. 3E♯mediant
  4. 4F♯subdominant
  5. 5G♯dominant
  6. 6A♯submediant
  7. 7B♯leading tone

Chords in C♯ 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. IC♯
  2. iiD♯m
  3. iiiE♯m
  4. IVF♯
  5. VG♯
  6. viA♯m
  7. vii°B♯dim

Modes on the same notes

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

Practice notes for the C sharp major scale

C♯ major has seven sharps, every note of the scale: C♯ D♯ E♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ B♯. It is played on the same keys as D♭ major, which has five flats, so on the piano it is the same scale. Reading it is the hard part. Two of its notes, E♯ and B♯, are white keys that most people call F and C.

Where it goes wrong. Naming. Players see seven sharps, play the right keys, and then write or say F and C instead of E♯ and B♯. The scale needs one note on each letter, C to B, and both of those white keys belong to it under their sharp names.

How to practice it. The fingers are the D♭ major fingering. Right hand 2 3 for C♯ D♯, thumb under to E♯, 2 3 4 for F♯ G♯ A♯, thumb under to B♯, 2 on C♯. Left hand 3 2 1 for C♯ D♯ E♯, then 4 crosses over to F♯. If you learned D♭ major first, play C♯ major from the staff and say the note names out loud. The hand already knows it, so the practice is for your reading.

What to listen for. B♯ to C♯ at the top and E♯ to F♯ in the middle, the two half steps, each from a white key up to a black one.

What to learn next. A♯ minor is its relative minor, with the same seven sharps; this site files it under B♭ minor. D♭ major is the easier spelling to read, and C♯ minor shares this scale’s keynote.

Questions

What are the notes of the C♯ major scale?

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

What chords are in the key of C♯ major?

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

Why does C♯ major have seven sharps?

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

What is the relative minor of C♯ major?

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