C Blues Scale (C E♭ F G♭ G B♭)
C blues adds a G♭ to C minor pentatonic. Six notes, C E♭ F G♭ G B♭. The new note sits a half step under the fifth and earns its keep on the way somewhere else.
Fretboard diagram
Every C blues note from the open strings to fret 22. At fret 12 the map starts over an octave up.
Notes in this scale
| Symbol | Interval | Note |
|---|---|---|
| R | root | C |
| ♭3 | minor third | E♭ |
| 4 | perfect fourth | F |
| ♭5 | flatted fifth | G♭ |
| 5 | perfect fifth | G |
| ♭7 | minor seventh | B♭ |
Where to land
A lead that never touches its root is an exercise. In the first twelve frets C sits on the low E string at fret 8, the A string at fret 3, the D string at fret 10, the G string at fret 5, the B string at fret 1, and the high E string at fret 8. End phrases on one of them until it's automatic, then start aiming for whichever chord tone the band is sitting on instead.
The G♭ is the exception to every landing rule. Bend into it, slide through it, resolve it to the G a half step up or keep falling to the fourth. Treat it as a note you visit, and keep ending phrases on C, the way every blues record you own already does.
Keep exploring
Same root
Same notes
C minor pentatonic is this scale without the ♭5.
Chords it fits over
C7 for a blues, Cm and Cm7 for everything darker.
Nearby keys
C blues FAQ
What notes are in the C blues scale?
C blues contains C, E♭, F, G♭, G, and B♭. That's the root, the minor third, the perfect fourth, the flatted fifth, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.
What fret does C blues start on?
The lowest root is C at fret 8 on the low E string, and most players anchor there. The scale itself covers the whole neck, and everything repeats twelve frets higher.
What is the blue note in the C blues scale?
G♭, the flatted fifth. It sits one fret below the perfect fifth and one above the fourth. It works as a passing note, bent into or slid through, and resolves cleanly to either neighbor.