Scale degrees · B major
The 5 of B is F♯
The 5 (five) of B is F♯ (F sharp): a perfect fifth above the root.
B — the root, 1F♯ — the 5
How to find it
Count letters first, the root included: B, C, D, E, F. A 5th lands on F.
Then the sound: a perfect fifth is 7 semitones above B, and the F that is 7 semitones up is F♯.
That is why it is F♯ and not G♭: G♭ is the same key on the piano, but from B it would be a 6th, not a 5th.
Where you meet it
The 5 is the most stable note after the root; a power chord is just the two of them.
In B5:
B · F♯
The 5 in every key
| Key | The 5 |
|---|---|
| C | G |
| G | D |
| D | A |
| A | E |
| E | B |
| B | F♯ |
| F♯ | C♯ |
| D♭ | A♭ |
| A♭ | E♭ |
| E♭ | B♭ |
| B♭ | F |
| F | C |
Every degree of B
Free on iPhone and Android
Name it before
you can count it.
Improvy trains every degree in all 12 keys — the 3, the ♭7, the ♯11 — until you see the note without working it out. A few minutes a day. Free to start; Pro is one payment, never a subscription.
Or try the 60-second test in your browser