C Major Scale, Right Hand

Lesson

Why C major first?

C major has no sharps and no flats — every note is a white key. It's the cleanest place to learn the major-scale formula and the standard fingering pattern.

Right-hand fingering

Fingers are numbered 1–5 from the thumb. The classic C-major right-hand fingering is:

• C (thumb, 1) — D (2) — E (3)
• Tuck the thumb under to play F (1)
• F (1) — G (2) — A (3) — B (4) — C (5)

The thumb-under trick

The hardest part is the cross from E to F. Your third finger plays E, then your thumb passes underneath your hand to land on F without breaking the rhythm. Do it slowly. The faster you try to do it, the more you'll fight it.

Practice plan

1. Play the scale ascending only, very slowly, watching your thumb.
2. Add the descending direction (reverse: 5-4-3-2-1, then 3-2-1).
3. Set the metronome at 60 BPM. One note per click. Stay relaxed.