F Major Scale - Emily Learning Music

F Major Scale it starts and ends with F. The relative minor of F Major is D minor. Both of these keys have B♭.

F Major Key Signature

Here’s the key signature for F Major – B♭.

key signature of F major in treble clef. This is also the key signature of D minor.

key signature of F major in bass clef. This is also the key signature of D minor.

key signature of F major in alto clef. This is also the key signature of D minor.

key signature of F major in tenor clef. This is also the key signature of D minor.

Notes in the Scale of F Major

When we play a scale, we usually start off with an ascending scale (the notes get higher), followed by descending scale (the notes get lower).

Ascending scale of F Major: F, G, A, B♭, C, D, E, F

Descending scale of F Major: F, E, D, C, B♭, A, G, F

Degrees of the Scale

Degrees of the scale refers to the number we assign to each note of a scale. When we are assigning degrees of a scale, we look at the scale in ascending order. Here are the notes for the various degrees of the F Major scale:

1st degree: F

2nd degree: G

3rd degree: A

4th degree: B♭

5th degree: C

6th degree: D

7th degree: E

Technical Names of Notes in F Major

Instead of using the degree of the scale, we can also use technical names of notes.

tonic – F

supertonic – G

mediant – A

subdominant – B♭

dominant – C

submediant – D

leading note – E

Semitones and Tones

In all major scales, they follow this:

Pairs of notes	Tone or semitone apart?
1st -> 2nd	tone
2nd -> 3rd	tone
3rd -> 4th	semitone
4th -> 5th	tone
5th -> 6th	tone
6th -> 7th	tone
7th -> 8th	semitone

Most adjacent pairs of notes in the major scale are a tone apart, except for the 3rd to 4th note, and the 7th to the 8th note. This doesn’t apply just to F Major scale, but for ALL major scales. By knowing the distance between the notes in a Major scale, we can form any major scale even if we do not know its key signature.

In this case, the semitones are found here:

From A to B♭ (3rd to 4th note)
From E to F (7th to 8th note)

F Major Scale on different clefs.

Here’s how the F Major scales look like in treble clef (without key signature). I’ve also included the fingerings:

F Major ascending and descending scales in treble clef with fingerings included.

Here’s how the F Major scales look like in bass clef (without key signature). I’ve also included the fingerings:

F Major ascending and descending scales in bass clef with fingerings included.

Here’s how the F Major scales look like in alto clef.

F Major ascending and descending scales in alto clef.

Here’s how the F Major scales look like in tenor clef (without key signature).

F Major ascending and descending scales in tenor clef.

How to play the F Major scale on the piano

The fingerings for the right hand part of the F Major scale are:

F -1/4 (Use 5th finger for the highest note of the scale)

G- 2

A- 3

B♭ -4

C – 1

D- 2

E – 3

The fingerings for the left hand part of the F Major scale are:

F -1/5 (Use the 5th finger for the lowest note, the rest should be played with the 1st finger or thumb)

G- 4

A- 3

B♭ -2

C – 1

D- 3

E – 2