C major scale

C D E F G A B C

• Key signaturenone
• Relative minorA minor
• Parallel minorC minor
• StepsW W H W W W H

C major scale on the staff

Here is one octave of the C major scale going up, written with the key signature. C major uses only the natural notes, the white keys of the piano.

C major scale on the piano

Scale degrees

C major key signature

The key signature sits right after the clef at the start of every line. C major has no sharps or flats.

Chords in the key of C major

Build a chord on each note of the scale using only notes from the scale and you get the chords of the key. The Roman numeral says which scale degree the chord sits on; capitals are major chords, lowercase are minor, and ° means diminished.

About the key of C major

C major has no sharps or flats, so it uses only the white keys of the piano. That makes it the key most beginners meet first and the easiest one to read. Many first piano pieces, nursery tunes and classroom songs are in C. Singers often move such tunes up or down to suit their range, but C is the standard way to learn how a major scale is built.

Well-known music in C major:

• Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K. 545 (Mozart)
• Prelude in C major, BWV 846 (Bach)

Nearby keys

• Relative: A minor
• Parallel: C minor
• One sharp more: G major
• One flat more: F major

Check yourself

All major scales

• C major
• G major
• D major
• A major
• E major
• B major
• F♯ major
• C♯ major
• F major
• B♭ major
• E♭ major
• A♭ major
• D♭ major
• G♭ major

See also: the circle of fifths, key signatures, all major scales explained.