This is a quick reference guide to commonly used fingering for scales.
- The fingering always alternates 123 1234 (or 321 4321) so that the same fingering pattern repeats every octave.
- The thumb always stays on the white keys, never on black keys.
- The fourth finger always plays a black key (when there is a black key to be played in the scale).
- The fifth finger is only used at a starting place, a stopping place, or a turning-around place.
- Based on previous rule, use #5 finger at the end of a scale, instead of #1 as indicated below. The e The chart below is marked with #1 at the end of the scale, assuming you will continue to play another octave.
| Major | Natural Minor | Harmonic Minor | Melodic Minor (ascending) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key | Fingering | Key | Fingering | Key | Fingering | Key | Fingering | |
| RH | C major | 12312341 | A minor | 12312341 | A minor | 12312341 | A minor | 12312341 |
| LH | 14321321 | 54321321 | 32132143 | 21321432 (14321321) |
||||
| RH | G major | 12312341 | E minor | 34123123 | E minor | 12312341 | E minor | 12312341 |
| LH | 32132143 | 14321321 | 14321321 | 14321321 | ||||
| RH | D major | 12312341 | B minor | 34123123 | B minor | 12312341 | B minor | 12312341 |
| LH | 21432132 | 13214321 | 13214321 | 13214321 | ||||
| RH | A major | 12312341 | F# minor | 34123123 | F# minor | 34123123 | F# minor | 23123412 |
| LH | 21321432 | 43213214 | 43213214 | 43213214 | ||||
| RH | E major | 12312341 | C# minor | 34123123 | C# minor | 34123123 | C# minor | 23123412 |
| LH | 14321321 | 32143213 | 32143213 | 32143213 | ||||
| RH | B/Cb major | 12312341 | G#/Ab minor | 34123123 | G#/Ab minor | 34123123 | G#/Ab minor | 34123123 |
| LH | 13214321 | 32132143 | 32143213 | 32143213 | ||||
| RH | F#/Gb major | 23412312 | D#/Eb minor | 31234123 | D#/Eb minor | 31234123 | D#/Eb minor | 31234123 |
| LH | 43213214 | 21432132 | 21432132 | 21432132 | ||||
| RH | C#/Db major | 23123412 | A#/Bb minor | 41231234 | A#/Bb minor | 41231234 | A#/Bb minor | 41231234 |
| LH | 32143213 | 21321432 | 21321432 | 21432132 (21321432) |
||||
| RH | Ab major | 34123123 | F minor | 12341231 | F minor | 12341231 | F minor | 12341231 |
| LH | 32143213 | 21321432 | 21321432 | 21432132 | ||||
| RH | Eb major | 31234123 | C minor | 12312341 | C minor | 12312341 (23412312) |
C minor | 12312341 (23412312) |
| LH | 32143213 | 21321432 (14321321) |
21321432 (14321321) |
21432132 (14321321) |
||||
| RH | Bb major | 41231234 | G minor | 23412312 (12312341) |
G minor | 12312341 | G minor | 12312341 |
| LH | 32143213 | 21321432 (14321321) |
21321432 (14321321) |
21432132 (14321321) |
||||
| RH | F major | 12341231 | D minor | 23123412 (12312341) |
D minor | 12312341 | D minor | 12312341 |
| LH | 32143213 | 21321432 (14321321) |
21321432 (14321321) |
32132143 (14321321) |
||||
7 Responses
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I’m a church pianist but i don’t have proper lesson who teach me for playing Piano.thank you so much to you.It help me a lot.Surely God will bless you.
Dear Lisa,
I just found this page on Scale fingering. I have had the
day off. so, naturally I jump on the computer to look
over what been added on and I’m forever great-full.
thank you and god bless
kathy
the fingering is wrong… You cannot start c Major scale with finger #1 on your left hand you start with finger #5…..
Oops, you are absolutely right! It was an error. It is now corrected.
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