C♯ Blues Scale (C♯ E F♯ G G♯ B)
C♯ blues is C♯ E F♯ G G♯ B, everything one fret up from C blues. Horn charts will call the whole business D♭.
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 9, the A string at fret 4, the D string at fret 11, the G string at fret 6, the B string at fret 2, and the high E string at fret 9. 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
C♯7 for a blues, C♯m and C♯m7 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 9 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.