The Principles of Scale Fingering

The traditional scale fingerings widely used today were outlined way back by C.P.E. Bach in his treatise, Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments (1753). They are based on the idea of a short group alternating with a long group.

For example, in C major it’s a short group (one two three) and a long group (one, two, three and four) ascending in the right hand and descending in the left:

General principles & tips

Chopin would often demonstrate how much easier it is to play the scale of B major than C major. This is because the thumb passes much more readily under the hand after a black note than after a white note. Although this is a very basic principle of fingering, it’s often something that we do intuitively without thinking about it (Who, for instance, would play the scale of E-Flat major, right hand, starting with the thumb?)!

TIP: The thumb passes more easily under black notes  

Generally neither the thumb nor the 5th finger are used on black keys (the exceptions are the arpeggios of F sharp major and E flat minor). The longer fingers (2nd, 3rd and 4th) usually play on black keys with shorter fingers (thumb and 5th) playing the white keys.

TIP: The longer fingers prefer black notes, the thumb and fifth finger prefer white notes

The 4th finger appears only once in each octave (except in situations when the 4th finger is a substitute for the thumb e.g. the bottom of B major and minor  in the Left Hand).  If you are struggling to remember the fingering for a scale, just notice where the 4th fingers go and use these notes as anchors!

Starting out

Try beginning with B major in the right hand and D-flat major in the left hand as these scales fall naturally under the hand due to the principles outlined above. Then it’s worth learning the traditional C major finding as this applies to several other scales – once you’ve learnt it, you can apply it to ten scales in all (C, D, E, G & A majors and minors)!

This diagram shows the C major fingering for an ascending then descending scale over two octaves:

When playing a scale with this fingering hands together, it’s helpful to notice:

• The 3rd fingers always come together
• The thumbs come together on the key notes in the middle of the scale (but do not come together elsewhere)

Instead of learning the C major group of scales from a scale book that uses staff notation, you can simply follow this diagram as you play, making absolutely sure you stick to this fingering each and every time in each of the different keys:

Alternative fingerings

There have been numerous attempts at revamping scale fingerings in order to find more natural positions better suited to the hand. Traditionally, the major scales of G, D, A, and F have been taught beginning on the fifth finger in the left hand. The main reason for this was that it was thought easier to remember fingerings which start with the fifth finger.

Although many pianists have been taught this traditional fingering from an early age, most will experience an immediate and dramatic improvement by playing the scale with this alternative fingering (starting on the 2nd finger instead of the fifth):

Many pianists stick with the old familiar fingerings because they are a comfortable habit. However, it’s worth experimenting with new (and potentially more exciting) fingerings once you understand the basic principles. Often a simple change such as the example illustrated above can deliver significant improvements!

Further information & demonstrations

For more information on general principles, demonstrations of how to choose ergonomic fingerings and a listing of standard and alternative fingerings for scales and arpeggios, please see Penelope Roskell’s Art of Piano Fingering (available for once-off purchase as an eBook with links to video demonstrations here or online with an Online Academy subscription here).

You may also be interested in Part 3 of Graham Fitch’s eBook series which looks at playing scales and arpeggios in detail or Graham’s online module on the fundamentals of playing scales and arpeggios.