C♯ major scale

C♯ D♯ E♯ F♯ G♯ A♯ B♯ C♯

• Key signature7 sharps
• 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 (seven sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯ and B♯). Every note on those lines and spaces is played sharp or flat, so the notes themselves need no extra signs.

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 seven sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯ and B♯. They are written in the standard order, which is the same in every key with sharps.

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 seven sharps, every note of the key signature: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯ and B♯. It is the enharmonic twin of D♭ major, which has only five flats and is far easier to read, so D♭ is used much more often. C♯ major turns up mostly in keyboard works that tour all twelve keys.

Well-known music in C♯ major:

• Prelude and Fugue in C♯ major, BWV 848 (Bach)

Nearby keys

• Parallel: C♯ minor
• 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.