How many major and minor scales are there?

Twelve major and twelve natural minor, one for each note of the chromatic scale. Counting enharmonic spellings as well (for example F sharp and G flat major), fifteen major keys can be written, and as many minor ones.

What is the relative minor of a major key?

It is the minor key that starts on the sixth degree of the major scale and shares its key signature. The relative minor of C major is A minor; that of G major is E minor.

Which chords are in a major key?

Seven triads, one per degree: major on the first, fourth and fifth degrees, minor on the second, third and sixth, diminished on the seventh. In C major they are C, D minor, E minor, F, G, A minor and B diminished.

← Music theory

Major and minor scales

A major scale is a series of seven notes separated by whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half steps; the natural minor scale uses whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. There are twelve major and twelve minor keys.

Pick a key to see its scale on the keyboard, listen to it and play the chords built on each degree. Further down you can compare all the keys.

C major

Key signature: no sharps or flats
Relative key

Note names

Key of C major →All keys

PatternW – W – H – W – W – W – H(W = whole step, H = half step)

Chords in C major

Tap a chord to hear it. From your computer keyboard: keys 1 to 7.

All major scales

CDEFGAB
GABCDEF♯
DEF♯GABC♯
ABC♯DEF♯G♯
EF♯G♯ABC♯D♯
BC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯
F♯G♯A♯BC♯D♯E♯
D♭E♭FG♭A♭B♭C
A♭B♭CD♭E♭FG
E♭FGA♭B♭CD
B♭CDE♭FGA
FGAB♭CDE

In order of fifths: each row adds one sharp, then the flats follow, decreasing.

All natural minor scales

ABCDEFG
EF♯GABCD
BC♯DEF♯GA
F♯G♯ABC♯DE
C♯D♯EF♯G♯AB
G♯A♯BC♯D♯EF♯
E♭FG♭A♭B♭C♭D♭
B♭CD♭E♭FG♭A♭
FGA♭B♭CD♭E♭
CDE♭FGA♭B♭
GAB♭CDE♭F
DEFGAB♭C

How they are built

The major scale always follows the pattern whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. Start on any note, keep those distances, and you get the major scale of that note: the sharps or flats needed to do so are the key signature.

The natural minor scale uses the pattern whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole. Compared with the major scale on the same tonic, its third, sixth and seventh are a half step lower.

Every major key has a relative minor with the same notes and the same key signature: it starts on the sixth degree. C major and A minor, for example, both use only the white keys.

Frequently asked questions

How many major and minor scales are there?: Twelve major and twelve natural minor, one for each note of the chromatic scale. Counting enharmonic spellings as well (for example F sharp and G flat major), fifteen major keys can be written, and as many minor ones.
What is the relative minor of a major key?: It is the minor key that starts on the sixth degree of the major scale and shares its key signature. The relative minor of C major is A minor; that of G major is E minor.
Which chords are in a major key?: Seven triads, one per degree: major on the first, fourth and fifth degrees, minor on the second, third and sixth, diminished on the seventh. In C major they are C, D minor, E minor, F, G, A minor and B diminished.

Texts and tools by Stefano Corradi, professional musician and developer. Last updated: October 8, 2026.

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