How many sharps does G# minor have?

Five: F#, C#, G#, D#, and A# — same as its relative major, B major.

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

The G# natural minor scale has five sharps — F#, C#, G#, D#, and A# — and shares its notes with B major. It's the key of Rachmaninoff's G# minor Prelude (one of his most haunting), and the scale carries an atmosphere of restless yearning.

Interval pattern

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

In melody and improvisation

G# minor appears in romantic piano literature and in jazz pieces transposed for female vocalists. On guitar it's less common because barre positions are physical, but on piano the scale falls naturally with practice.

Relative key

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

Common mistakes

Five sharps including A# is a lot to track. The harmonic-minor variant adds F##, which trips up nearly everyone — that's a double-sharp on the leading tone.

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