How to Play a G Major Scale on Piano

The G major scale on piano is one of the most forgiving to pianists. The key signature has only one sharp (F#) and allows you to spend the majority of your time gliding over white keys. The G major scale shares the same key signature as E minor. When practicing the G major scale, great attention should be given to the speed at which you play it. The lack of sharps makes it a perfect scale to master flexibility.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Practice with your right hand. Place your thumb on G3 and continue up the G major scale. Cross your thumb under your middle finger at C4. Ascend the scale to the end. You should reach the top of the octave with you pinkie finger landing on G4.

2. Descend the scale. Cross your middle finger over your thumb at B4. Continue down the scale to G3. Your thumb should now be in the starting position. Repeat this scale, with your right hand only, seven to ten times increasing the tempo with each passing octave.

3. Focus on your left hand. Place your pinkie finger on G2. Ascend the scale to D3. Cross your middle finger over your thumb at E3. Continue upwards to the top octave. Your thumb should land on G3. The one finger crossing required must be made with great stability in your wrist. The crossing requires little finger movement, so if you shift your wrist at all, you risk landing your fingers on the outsides of D3 and E3. Wrong notes often result from this problem.

4. Descend the G major scale with your left hand. Cross your thumb under your middle finger at D3. Continue down the scale to G2. Your thumb should be the last finger that touches and will be in the starting position. Repeat this scale no more than five times with your left hand. As you make the turn at the top of the octave to come back down, kick your elbow out to the left.

5. Practice the G major scale on piano with both hands, paying attention to speed and flexibility. Raise your fingers high off of the keys to more quickly develop dexterity. Raise your wrist so that you fingers are coming down in as vertical a motion as possible. This will give you much more control and help to avoid missed notes on the adjacent sides of each key. Practice this scale on piano with a tempo of no less than 100 beats per minute. You may increase the tempo to 180 beats per minute once you master the turn at the top of each octave.