Before even beginning to play a scale, you must learn a set of key terms to better understand the piano and be more prepared to play the major scales. Those terms are:
Half step: A half step occurs when one moves to the next closest note, either higher or lower.
Whole step: A whole step occurs when one skips a note, either higher or lower.
Natural: Natural notes are the seven lettered notes that make up the white keys on a piano. Natural notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.
Octave: An octave, coming from "eight," is the group of notes in a scale. There are seven lettered notes in the scale, and the starting note is played again at the end.
Sharp: A note is made sharp when you move a half step above the natural note.
Flat: A note is made flat when you move a half step below the natural note.
Accidentals: Accidentals are the symbols used to identify sharp and flat notes.
Now that you understand the basic terms, you can learn to play any of the 12 major scales. If you know the format of a major scale, you can pick any note on the piano and begin.
The easiest scale is major C, so we'll start with that. First, identify middle C on the piano. A piano has 88 keys, and middle C is about halfway up the keys. Use the picture to help you.
After you've identified middle C, play it. That is the first note of the major scale. Now play the next white key, and so on, until you've played eight white keys, ending on another C. You'll notice that sometimes there was a black key in between, which you skipped, and other times you were playing the immediate next key. That is because a major scale is played by starting on a note, then moving a whole step, another whole step, then a half step, a whole step, another whole step, another whole step, and finally a half step. You can use shorthand if it is easier to follow: W W H W W W H.
That same scale form is used for all of the major scales. You can now pick any note and play a major scale, keeping in mind the whole or half steps you should be taking. However, now you will start playing some of the black keys, or sharps and flats.
After the C scale, each new scale adds a sharp or a flat note. The order of sharps and flats can be easily remembered with the use of mnemonic devices.
For sharps, the order is F-C-G-D-A-E-B. A common mnemonic device for that is "Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds."
For flats, the order is reversed, although the F is eliminated: B-E-A-D-G-C. Some people can remember them by thinking "BEAD" and then G-C, but it is always helpful to create a mnemonic device that you can remember.
Now that you know the order of sharps and flats as they are introduced into the scales, you can use the same process to remember the order of the major scales.
The major scales with follow almost the same order. Start with C, which has no sharps or flats, and then move to G, then D, A, E, and then B. So the order is C-G-D-A-E-B, the same as the order of sharps, except F is eliminated. Each new scale introduces one new sharp.
The same is true for flats. F is the first scale with a flat, then B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, D-flat, and G-flat. After the F scale, the order is the same as that of the flat notes being introduced to the scale: F-B-E-A-D-G.
The last step in performing a successful major scale is proper fingering. To keep your fingers moving smoothly over the keys, it is important to pay attention to your fingering. Below is the most common fingering for each of the 12 major scales. For both hands, 1 refers to the thumb, 2 to the index finger, 3 to the middle finger, 4 to the ring finger, and 5 to the pinky.
The common fingering for C major and the sharp scales is the same.
C Major
RH: 1-2-3 1-2-3-4-5
LH: 5-4-3-2-1 3-2-1
G Major (1 sharp, F)
RH: 1-2-3 1-2-3-4-5
LH: 5-4-3-2-1 3-2-1
D Major (2 sharps, F and C)
RH: 1-2-3 1-2-3-4-5
LH: 5-4-3-2-1 3-2-1
A Major (3 sharps, F, C, and G)
RH: 1-2-3 1-2-3-4-5
LH: 5-4-3-2-1 3-2-1
E Major (4 sharps, F, C, G, and D)
RH: 1-2-3 1-2-3-4-5
LH: 5-4-3-2-1 3-2-1
B Major (5 sharps, F, C, G, D, and A)
RH: 1-2-3 1-2-3-4-5
LH: 4-3-2-1 4-3-2-1 (Note the change in fingering for the left hand.)
The common fingerings for the flat scales change from scale to scale to accommodate the fingers in playing the black keys.
F Major (1 flat, B)
RH: 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4
LH: 5-4-3-2-1 3-2-1
B-flat Major (2 flats, B and E)
RH: 2-1-2-3 1-2-3-4
LH: 3-2-1 4-3-2-1-2
E-flat Major (3 flats, B, E, and A)
RH: 2-1-2-3 4-1-2-3
LH: 3-2-1 4-3-2-1-2
A-flat Major (4 flats, B, E, A, and D)
RH: 2-3 1-2-3 1-2-3
LH: 3-2-1 4-3-2-1-2
D-flat Major (5 flats, B, E, A, D, and G)
RH: 2-3 1-2-3-4 1-2
LH: 3-2-1 4-3-2-1-2
G-flat Major (6 flats, B, E, A, D, G, and C)
RH: 2-3-4 1-2-3 1-2
LH: 4-3-2-1 3-2-1-2