The B major scale — notes, intervals, and pattern

The B major scale has five sharps — F#, C#, G#, D#, and A# — and sits at the busy end of the sharp side of the circle of fifths. It appears regularly in vocal music transposed for range and in jazz tunes that want a bright, lifted sonority.

Interval pattern

The B major scale is built from this fixed pattern of whole steps (W) and half steps (H):

Wwhole
Wwhole
Hhalf
Wwhole
Wwhole
Wwhole
Hhalf

Every major scale uses this same pattern, transposed to start on a different tonic. The half-steps fall between scale degrees 3–4 and 7–8.

Scale degrees and intervals

Each note of the scale, with its scale-degree name and interval from the root:

Degree	Note	Interval from root	Function
1	B	Root	Tonic
2	C#	M2	Supertonic
3	D#	M3	Mediant
4	E	P4	Subdominant
5	F#	P5	Dominant
6	G#	M6	Submediant
7	A#	M7	Subtonic / Leading tone

In melody and improvisation

B major is less common in beginning piano repertoire but standard in vocal and chamber-music transpositions. On guitar, B major is barre-chord territory but the scale shape is identical to other major scales — just shifted up the neck.

Relative key

The B major scale shares its notes with G# minor. Same seven pitches, different tonal centre — when a piece moves between them, no accidentals change.

Common mistakes

Five sharps to track. The A# (leading tone) is the easiest to miss when sight-reading. Don't confuse B major with B minor (two sharps) — same tonic, very different signature.

Drill it

The Interval Trainer gives you a root note and an interval, and asks you to name the result. Practising the intervals of the B major scale is the fastest way to internalise it as a melodic shape rather than a memorised string of notes.

Open the Interval Trainer →Or drill key signatures

Frequently asked

What are the notes in the B major scale?: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#.
How many sharps does B major have?: Five: F#, C#, G#, D#, and A#.
What is the relative minor of B major?: G# minor.