E major scale

The notes

E major has four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯. Four of its seven notes are black keys, which makes it comfortable once the hand finds its place.

Key signature

E major has four sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯). They are written at the start of every line, in that order, and apply to every octave: every F, C, G and D in the music is played sharp unless an accidental says otherwise.

Fingering

Right hand: 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 going up. Going up, 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. Over two octaves, the E in the middle takes the thumb instead of the fifth finger, and the pattern starts again.

Left hand: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 going up. Going up, 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. Over two octaves, the left hand starts on the fifth finger only once, at the bottom; the E in the middle takes the thumb.

The right thumb tucks under from G♯ to A, a white key between two black ones, then the hand plays C♯ and D♯ with the third and fourth fingers. In the left hand the thumb plays B, and the third finger crosses over onto C♯.

Chords in E major

The triads built on each note of the scale. I, IV and V, the three major chords, are the chords most songs in this key are built on.

• I E major
• ii F♯ minor
• iii G♯ minor
• IV A major
• V B major
• vi C♯ minor
• vii° D♯ diminished

Music in E major

• Vivaldi’s “Spring” from The Four Seasons
• Chopin’s Étude Op. 10 No. 3 (“Tristesse”)

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.
• Say the sharps or flats before you start: F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯. Knowing them makes the scale much easier to read in pieces.

Quick answers

How many sharps are in E major?

E major has four sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯).

What is the fingering for the E major scale?

Right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5, left hand 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1, going up one octave from E (1 is the thumb). Coming down, the same fingers in reverse.

What is the relative minor of E major?

C♯ minor. It has the same key signature, four sharps (F♯, C♯, G♯ and D♯), and starts on the sixth note of the E major scale.