Scales
Piano scales for beginners
Start with C major, because it uses only white keys and lets you concentrate on your fingers rather than on where the black notes are. Then learn G major and F major, which each add a single black key. Scales are worth the time because they put the notes of a whole key under your hand at once, and because the chords in that key come from the same set of notes.
Click any key to hear it. Your computer's A to K row works too.
Do I really need to practise scales?
You need the physical skills they build, particularly the thumb tuck, and you need the familiarity with each key. Whether you get that from formal scale practice or from pieces in those keys matters less than people pretend. Five minutes at the start of a session is plenty, and scales are a warm up rather than the point of playing.
What order should I learn them in?
C major first, then G major and F major, then D major and B flat major. Each new one adds one accidental to the last, so the pattern grows gradually rather than jumping. Learning them in that order also teaches you the circle of fifths without anyone having to explain it.
How do I practise a scale properly?
Slowly, hands separately, listening to whether every note sounds equally loud and equally long. Unevenness is what scale practice is meant to fix, and it can only be fixed at a speed where you can hear it. Speed comes on its own once the movement is even.
What is the thumb tuck and why does it matter?
You have five fingers and eight notes, so the thumb passes underneath after the third note to let the hand carry on. Done smoothly it is invisible; done badly it produces an audible bump in the middle of every scale. Practising that one movement slowly is more valuable than playing the whole scale quickly.
Keep going
Read next
Honest timelines: a simple tune in days, comfortable two-hand playing in months, fluent re Open → ♪ A beginner piano roadmap
A clear order for the first six months: keys, hand position, first tunes, both hands, read Open → ♪ Piano notes chart
An interactive chart of every white and black key with its note name. Click any key to hea Open → ♪ Piano chord chart
Every common major and minor chord with its notes and fingering, shown on a keyboard you c Open →
Put it into practice in the practice room, or start at the beginning with the five minute walkthrough.
Questions
Common questions
Which piano scale should I learn first?
C major. It uses only white keys, so nothing distracts from the fingering.
How many scales are there?
Twelve major and twelve minor in common use, though beginners rarely need more than four or five for a long time.
How long should I practise scales daily?
Five minutes is enough. They are a warm up, not the main event.