B Major Scale (Piano)
Bright, sleek, and surprisingly comfortable: B major uses five sharps, creating a smooth, polished scale that fits naturally under your fingers once you learn its pattern.
B major is a bit uncommon to see in piano scores.
Even though it looks intimidating on paper, B major is often one of the easiest major scales to play on the piano. With five black keys, your longer fingers land exactly where they want to, and your thumbs glide on the remaining white keys (B, E, and sometimes F♯ depending on direction). For many developing pianists, B major is the scale that suddenly makes black keys feel intuitive instead of scary.
Below, you’ll learn why B major feels so good under the hand, how it sounds, and how to practice it with a new fingering pattern that opens the door to the rest of the sharp keys.
B Major Layout (New Fingering Pattern)
B major’s key signature contains five sharps:
B C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯ B ascending
...then...
B A♯ G♯ F♯ E D♯ C♯ B descending
There’s a big milestone here:
B major is the first scale that uses the “Group 2” fingering pattern, the one you’ll use again in The C Flat Major Scale.
The pattern is found in the exercise above.
That LH fingering shift is essential—starting on finger 4 places your thumb exactly where it needs to be on the white key E, which keeps the entire pattern ergonomic.
If you click the B major sheet music above, Chordzy will show this pattern directly on the staff and listen as you play—helping you internalize the new fingering without stopping to check charts.
Why B Major Feels Good
B major is one of the most pianistic scales because of how your hand naturally rests:
Longer fingers (2, 3, 4) fall on black keys where they’re strongest.
Thumbs fall on white keys (B, E), where they’re shortest and most stable.
The hand maintains a slightly forward position, making motion smoother.
Many students report that B major quickly becomes one of their most comfortable scales—sometimes more comfortable than C major—because the hand posture feels relaxed and centered rather than stretched.
Try this: Place your hand loosely over the group of three black keys. Notice how your fingers naturally curve downward? That’s exactly the position B major takes advantage of.
How B Major Sounds
The sound of B major is often described as bright, glassy, and uplifting, with strong melodic pull.
You may notice:
A♯ → B forms a powerful leading tone—more intense than in keys with fewer sharps.
The upper half of the scale (F♯-G♯-A♯-B) has a shimmering, modern quality.
B major tends to feel “big” and confident, making it a popular choice for expressive or triumphant music.
Because the scale includes many sharps, your ear must work harder at first, but that effort pays off quickly: learning B major improves your pitch accuracy across all sharp keys.
Technique Focus: Forward Hand Position
To play B major smoothly, shift your entire hand slightly forward toward the fallboard. This does three important things:
Lets longer fingers rest comfortably on the black keys.
Reduces tension in the thumb when crossing under.
Evens out tone between white and black keys.
Common technical goals:
Keep the wrist soft—no dipping, no collapsing.
Let thumb crossings feel like small glides, not big motions.
Keep your fingertips close to the keys to avoid “reaching.”
If you're practicing with Chordzy, then once you get to the higher levels, the app will nudge you toward fluid motion rather than stiff, robotic drilling (the villain of good piano playing).