Minor scales · C sharp harmonic minor
C♯ harmonic minor scale
The C♯ harmonic minor scale (C sharp harmonic minor) is C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B♯ C♯. It uses the key signature of E major, four sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯), and raises the seventh note with an accidental. Here it is for both hands with the standard fingering.
- 4 sharps: F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯
- Relative major: E major
- RH 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3
- LH 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3
Listen with the cursor following the notes, or play along: the music waits for each note, and the keys show which finger to use.
The notes
C♯ minor has four sharps, the key signature of E major, its relative major.
| Degree | Note | Right hand | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tonic | C♯ | 3 | 3 |
| 2Supertonic | D♯ | 4 | 2 |
| 3Mediant | E | 1 | 1 |
| 4Subdominant | F♯ | 2 | 4 |
| 5Dominant | G♯ | 3 | 3 |
| 6Submediant | A | 1 | 2 |
| 7Leading note | B♯ | 2 | 1 |
| 8Tonic | C♯ | 3 | 3 |
Key signature
C♯ minor has four sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯) in its key signature, the same as E major, its relative major. The harmonic minor adds one accidental, the raised seventh, B♯, which is written in each time it comes.
What makes it harmonic minor
The harmonic minor is the natural minor with its seventh raised a half step, B to B♯, written as an accidental (the key signature stays E major’s). The raised seventh is a leading note: a half step below the tonic, it pulls up to C♯, and it gives the key its major chord on the fifth note.
That leaves a step and a half between the sixth and seventh notes, A to B♯ (an augmented second), the gap that gives the harmonic minor its sound. Watch it under the fingers: 1–2 in the right hand and 2–1 in the left hand going up.
Fingering
Right hand: 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 going up. Going up, the thumb passes under the fourth finger from D♯ to E and the thumb passes under the third finger from G♯ to A. The fourth finger plays D♯: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is.
Left hand: 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 going up. Going up, the fourth finger crosses over the thumb from E to F♯ and the third finger crosses over the thumb from B♯ to C♯. The fourth finger plays F♯: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is.
The right hand starts on its third finger, with the fourth on D♯ and the thumbs on E and A. The left hand uses the flat keys’ pattern, 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3, with the fourth finger crossing onto F♯.
Chords in C♯ minor
The triads built on each note of the harmonic minor. Its raised seventh makes the chord on the fifth note major, the V that leads home in most minor-key music.
- i C♯ minor
- ii° D♯ diminished
- III+ E augmented
- iv F♯ minor
- V G♯ major
- VI A major
- vii° B♯ diminished
Music in C♯ minor
- Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, Op. 27 No. 2
- Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66
- Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C♯ minor, Op. 3 No. 2
How to practise it
- Hands separately first, slowly, saying the finger numbers. Fingering learned slowly stays; fingering found at speed changes every time.
- Practise the thumb crossings alone: play just the notes either side of each crossing, back and forth, until the thumb is in place before it’s needed.
- Then hands together, one octave, then two. The hands cross their thumbs at different places, which is what makes scales hands together hard at first.
- Use “Play along” above: it waits for each note, so you can check every note and finger at your own pace. Then Listen at ♩ = 72 and play with it.
Quick answers
- What are the notes of the C sharp harmonic minor scale?
- C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B♯ C♯.
- What is the fingering for the C sharp harmonic minor scale?
- Right hand 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3, left hand 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3, going up one octave from C♯ (1 is the thumb). Coming down, the same fingers in reverse.
- What key signature does C♯ minor have?
- Four sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯), the same as its relative major, E major.
Scales, then real music
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