C sharp major scale

The C sharp major scale has 7 notes: C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and B♯. Its formula is 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and it is built with the steps W W H W W W H.

Notes, formula and steps

The intervals from C♯ are root (C♯), major 2nd (D♯), major 3rd (E♯), perfect 4th (F♯), perfect 5th (G♯), major 6th (A♯) and major 7th (B♯). Write down the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half): it is the fingerprint of the major scale, whatever the starting note. This scale has 7 sharps: C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and B♯.

How to play the C sharp major scale on piano

Start on C♯ and play C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and B♯ going up, then come back down. Say the note names out loud while you play: it links the sound, the keys and the names. Practise hands separately first, slowly with the metronome, then speed up.

How to play the C sharp major scale on guitar

On guitar, the root C♯ sits at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Start from one of these roots and play the notes of the fretboard map above in order, one string after another. The whole-neck view shows every place the C sharp major scale appears, so you can connect the positions instead of staying in one box.

Chords in the C sharp major scale

Stacking every other note of the scale gives one chord per degree: C♯, D♯m, E♯m, F♯, G♯, A♯m and B♯dim. These are the chords you can combine to write a progression that stays in the C sharp major scale.

Relative and parallel scales

The C sharp major scale shares its notes with the B flat natural minor scale: same notes, different starting point and a different mood. Its parallel scale, on the same root, is the C sharp natural minor scale. Switching between them is a classic way to change colour without changing key.

About the major scale

Bright, stable and resolved, the major scale is the reference sound of Western music, the do re mi everyone can sing. Its character comes from the major third and from the major seventh, the leading tone a semitone below the octave that pulls strongly back to the root. Nothing in it sounds exotic: it is the sound of home.

Every style relies on it: pop, rock, country, folk and classical melodies, and the harmony of most songs. Play it over the I, IV and V chords of its key and over progressions such as I V vi IV or ii V I. Over the V7 chord, aim for the 4th and 7th degrees: they resolve to the 3rd and the root of I.

On piano, play one octave hands separately with the standard fingering (for most white-key scales, right hand 1 2 3, thumb under, 1 2 3 4 5), then two octaves, then hands together. On guitar, learn one position with the root on the 6th string, then one with the root on the 5th string. Sing the degree numbers while you play, then improvise short phrases that end on the root.

Seven notes, step pattern W W H W W W H. It is made of two identical four-note groups (W W H) joined by a whole step. Stacked in thirds, it gives the diatonic chords I ii iii IV V vi vii°, and every mode is this same major scale started on another degree. Its key signature follows the circle of fifths.

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes of the C sharp major scale?

The C sharp major scale has 7 notes: C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and B♯. Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.

How many sharps or flats are in the C sharp major scale?

It has 7 sharps: C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and B♯.

Which chords are in the C sharp major scale?

One chord per degree: C♯, D♯m, E♯m, F♯, G♯, A♯m and B♯dim.

What is the relative of the C sharp major scale?

It shares its notes with the B flat natural minor scale. Its parallel scale is the C sharp natural minor scale.

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