How many sharps does C# minor have?

Four: F#, C#, G#, and D# — same as its relative major, E major.

The C# natural minor scale — notes, intervals, and pattern

The C# natural minor scale has four sharps — F#, C#, G#, and D# — and shares its notes with E major. It's the key of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata first movement, and that piece probably defines the scale's emotional fingerprint better than any verbal description.

Interval pattern

The C# natural minor scale is built from this fixed pattern of whole steps (W) and half steps (H):

Wwhole
Hhalf
Wwhole
Wwhole
Hhalf
Wwhole
Wwhole

Every natural minor scale uses this same pattern. The half-steps fall between scale degrees 2–3 and 5–6.

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	C#	Root	Tonic
2	D#	M2	Supertonic
3	E	m3	Mediant
4	F#	P4	Subdominant
5	G#	P5	Dominant
6	A	m6	Submediant
7	B	m7	Subtonic / Leading tone

In melody and improvisation

C# minor turns up in romantic-era piano music constantly: Chopin's C# minor Waltz and Nocturne, Rachmaninoff's C# minor Prelude. In modern music, the Beatles' "Something" sits in C# minor for much of its length.

Relative key

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

Common mistakes

Four sharps including D#: don't miss it. The harmonic-minor variant adds B# (= C natural pitch but spelled B# to maintain letter ordering), which is one of the more confusing notational moments in tonal music.

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 C# natural minor 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 C# natural minor scale?: C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A, B.
How many sharps does C# minor have?: Four: F#, C#, G#, and D# — same as its relative major, E major.
What is the relative major of C# minor?: E major.