E major scale

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

  1. E1
  2. whole
  3. F♯2
  4. whole
  5. G♯3
  6. half
  7. A4
  8. whole
  9. B5
  10. whole
  11. C♯6
  12. whole
  13. D♯7
  14. half
  15. E8
E1A1B2E5F♯2G♯3C♯3D♯4

E major on the staff, piano and guitar

On the staff

♯♯♯♯EF♯G♯ABC♯D♯E♯♯♯♯EF♯G♯ABC♯D♯E

On piano

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

E5A2B1E1F♯4G♯3C♯3D♯2

Left hand 5 4 3 2 1, then finger 3 crosses over to C♯: 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

678910EBGDAEBC♯D♯EF♯G♯ABC♯D♯EF♯G♯ABC♯

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

How to play the E major scale on piano

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

Practice the E major scale

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

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

The key of E major

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

Relative minor
C♯ minor
Parallel minor
E minor
Neighbors on the circle of fifths
A major and B major
♯♯♯♯CAmGEmDBmAIVF♯miiEIC♯mviBC♭VG♯mA♭miiiF♯G♭D♯mE♭mD♭C♯B♭mA♯mA♭FmE♭CmB♭GmFDmE major
E major on the circle of fifths, with the chords of its key marked.

The name of each note in the key

  1. 1Etonic
  2. 2F♯supertonic
  3. 3G♯mediant
  4. 4Asubdominant
  5. 5Bdominant
  6. 6C♯submediant
  7. 7D♯leading tone

Chords in E 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. IE
  2. iiF♯m
  3. iiiG♯m
  4. IVA
  5. VB
  6. viC♯m
  7. vii°D♯dim

Modes on the same notes

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

Practice notes for the E major scale

E major has four sharps, F♯ G♯ C♯ D♯: E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯ E. It looks harder on paper than it feels under the hand, because the black keys come in pairs and the fingering lines up with them.

Where it goes wrong. Reading it, not playing it. Four sharps make players slow down and second-guess each note. Look at the keyboard instead: F♯ and G♯ are the two black keys after E, under fingers 2 and 3; C♯ and D♯ are the next pair of two, under fingers 3 and 4. The thumb plays E, A and B, all white.

How to practice it. Play the two pairs as blocks first: E with F♯ G♯ held together, then B with C♯ D♯. That teaches the hand where each pair is. Then play the scale slowly, one note at a time. In the left hand, fingers 5 4 3 2 1 from E, then 3 crosses over to C♯ and 2 plays D♯.

What to listen for. D♯ to E at the top, and the even weight of the black keys against the white ones. With four black keys, a scale that is uneven in volume is more common than one with wrong notes.

What to learn next. C♯ minor, the relative minor, with the same four sharps, and A major again, to compare how the hand sits with one sharp fewer.

Questions

What are the notes of the E major scale?

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

What chords are in the key of E major?

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

Why does E major have four sharps?

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

What is the relative minor of E major?

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