G Major & F Major
One black key changes everything: G major adds an F♯ and keeps the fingering, F major adds a B♭ and the right hand has to rearrange itself so the thumb never lands on a black key.
Builds on: 3.1 The C Major Scale
The same pattern, moved
A major scale is a fixed pattern of steps — whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Start it on C and it falls on the white keys. Start it anywhere else and the pattern needs one or more black keys to keep its shape. Start on G and the seventh note has to be raised: G A B C D E F♯ G. Start on F and the fourth note has to be lowered: F G A B♭ C D E F. That is why these two keys have one sharp and one flat respectively, and they are the natural next step after C: one new key each.
G major: the fingering survives
Good news first. The F♯ in G major falls under finger 4 of the right hand, exactly where B fell in C major — so the fingering does not change at all: 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 up, 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 down, thumb under after finger 3 on C. The left hand is unchanged too: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 up. What changes is the feel: finger 4 now plays a black key, which sits higher and further back. Move the hand slightly into the keyboard so the fourth finger reaches F♯ without stretching.
F major: the thumb refuses the black key
Now the rule that shapes every scale fingering: the thumb does not play black keys in scales. The thumb is short; putting it on a raised key twists the wrist. In F major the black key is B♭, the fourth note — and if you used the C major fingering, the thumb would pass under onto B♭. So the right hand regroups. Play 1 2 3 4 on F G A B♭, pass the thumb under finger 4 onto C, then 1 2 3 4 again on C D E F. Two groups of four instead of three-plus-five, and the scale ends on finger 4, not 5.
The left hand in F major is untouched: B♭ falls under finger 2 in the usual 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1, and the thumb plays C and F, both white. It is the right hand that has to adapt in F, and the left hand that adapts in most sharp keys — every key has its own small puzzle of where the thumbs can go.
Reading the key signature at the keys
The staff in the exercises now shows a key signature: one sharp on the F line for G major, one flat on the B line for F major. It is a standing instruction: every F in the piece is F♯, every B is B♭, without a sign in front of each note. When you see it, find the black key before you play a note, and rest the hand so that the right finger is already over it.
Black keys are further from the edge, so the hand drifts in and out as a scale passes them. Let it — a scale with one black key is a gentle wave of the wrist toward the fallboard and back, not a series of jumps.
Play G major first: it should feel like C major with one key that sits higher. Then F major, and notice how the new fingering keeps the thumb on white keys.
🎹 Exercise — G Major, Right Hand
One octave from G4 up and back, one sharp in the signature. Same fingers as C major; the fourth finger meets the black key.
- Move the hand slightly into the keyboard before F♯ so finger 4 does not stretch.
- Thumb under after finger 3 on B, landing on C — a white key, as always.
Press the highlighted key to begin — any input works.
🎹 Exercise — F Major, Right Hand
One octave from F4 up and back, one flat in the signature — and the regrouped fingering: 1 2 3 4, thumb under, 1 2 3 4.
- Prepare the thumb while finger 3 plays A, so it is ready under 4 on B♭.
- Coming down, finger 4 crosses over the thumb to reach B♭.
Press the highlighted key to begin — any input works.