B major scale
B major scale is B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A♯, with C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and A♯. Formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Press play and follow the keys.
B major scale, note by note
From B upward the gaps are W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between D♯–E and A♯–B.
| Degree | Note | Interval from B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | root | |
| 2 | C♯ | major second | |
| 3 | D♯ | major third | |
| 4 | E | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | F♯ | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | G♯ | major sixth | |
| 7 | A♯ | major seventh |
What B major sounds like
Most of the tunes people hum in the West sit on a major scale. B major is the home base of songs in the key of B, and its seven notes are the only ones you need for the chords of that key.
The move that defines B major is F♯ to B: the A♯ in F♯ sits a half step under B and resolves up to it.
Compared with B natural minor scale, B major scale has D♯, G♯ and A♯ where the other has D, G and A; the other four notes are shared. Hear B natural minor scale and compare.
Playing B major
C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and A♯ are on black keys; the rest are white.
17 notes fit in the box between frets 5 and 11, with B at the 7th fret of the low E string.
The key of B major
Songs in B major are built from these notes, so the key signature has five sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯). The relative minor is G♯ minor: same notes, starting on the 6th degree. The parallel minor, B natural minor, starts on the same note with different notes above it.
Chords and progressions in B major
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords of the key. Tap to hear each one.
B major scale shares all its notes with C♯ Dorian (starting on the 2nd note, C♯), D♯ Phrygian (starting on the 3rd note, D♯), E Lydian (starting on the 4th note, E), F♯ Mixolydian (starting on the 5th note, F♯), G♯ natural minor (starting on the 6th note, G♯) and A♯ Locrian (starting on the 7th note, A♯). Which one you hear depends on which note the music treats as home.
B major scale across the fretboard
Anchor points for B: low E string fret 7, A string fret 2 and 14. Five overlapping fingerings cover the neck, starting near frets 2, 4, 7, 9 and 12 on the low E string. On guitar, learn the box from the 6th-string root first; the same fingering moves anywhere.
On the piano, B major scale uses 5 black keys (C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and A♯) and 2 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: B–D♯, C♯–E, D♯–F♯, E–G♯, F♯–A♯, G♯–B, A♯–C♯, then back down.
Drills for B major
Running a scale straight up and down only teaches the order. These patterns use the same 7 notes and train your ear and fingers to jump around inside B major scale.
- Up in threes: B C♯ D♯ · C♯ D♯ E · D♯ E F♯ · E F♯ G♯ · F♯ G♯ A♯ · G♯ A♯ B.
- Lean on A♯: B A♯ B A♯ B: the 7th, a half step under the root, pulls the ear home.
Try next, from B
Major scale in every key
B major scale: questions
What are the notes of the B major scale?
7 notes: B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯ and A♯.
How many sharps or flats are in the B major scale?
Five: C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯ and A♯. That matches the key signature of B major.
What chords are in the B major scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives B (I), C♯m (ii), D♯m (iii), E (IV), F♯ (V), G♯m (vi) and A♯dim (vii°).
What's the difference between B major scale and B natural minor scale?
D♯, G♯ and A♯ in B major; D, G and A in the other. Everything else is the same.
Generated from the step pattern 2-2-1-2-2-2-1 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.