F major scale

The notes

F major has one flat, B♭. It is usually the first scale where the C major fingering doesn’t work in the right hand.

Key signature

F major has one flat (B♭). They are written at the start of every line, in that order, and apply to every octave: every B in the music is played flat unless an accidental says otherwise.

Fingering

Right hand: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 going up. Going up, the thumb passes under the fourth finger from B♭ to C. The fourth finger plays B♭: once per octave, a good landmark for where the hand is. Over two octaves, the F in the middle takes the thumb instead of the fourth 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 C to D. The fourth finger plays G: 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 F in the middle takes the thumb.

The right thumb can’t pass under from A to B♭ (it would land on a black key), so the right hand plays four fingers first, F G A B♭ with 1 2 3 4, and the thumb comes in on C. The left hand keeps C major’s fingering, with the third finger crossing over the thumb onto D.

Chords in F 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 F major
• ii G minor
• iii A minor
• IV B♭ major
• V C major
• vi D minor
• vii° E diminished

Music in F major

• Bach’s Italian Concerto, BWV 971
• Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony (No. 6)

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: B♭. Knowing them makes the scale much easier to read in pieces.

Quick answers

How many flats are in F major?

F major has one flat (B♭).

What is the fingering for the F major scale?

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

What is the relative minor of F major?

D minor. It has the same key signature, one flat (B♭), and starts on the sixth note of the F major scale.