STRINGSCALES

C♯ minor pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F#, G#, B, C#, E at frets 0, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12

A string: B, C#, E, F#, G# at frets 2, 4, 7, 9, 11

D string: E, F#, G#, B, C# at frets 2, 4, 6, 9, 11

G string: G#, B, C#, E, F# at frets 1, 4, 6, 9, 11

B string: B, C#, E, F#, G#, B at frets 0, 2, 5, 7, 9, 12

High E string: E, F#, G#, B, C#, E at frets 0, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12

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C# minor pentatonic

The minor pentatonic is the most played guitar scale in existence: root, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th and flat 7th. Its five notes fit one comfortable two-notes-per-string box, which made it the backbone of blues, rock and countless classic solos. Because it omits the 2nd and 6th it works over almost any chord in a minor key, and adding the flat 5th turns it into the minor blues scale.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

C♯

I

E

bIII

F♯

IV

G♯

V

B

bVII

Same notes, different mode

C# minor pentatonic uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

E major pentatonicF# egyptianG# malkos ragaB ritusen

minor pentatonic in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Learn box 1 at the fret of C# on the low E string first, but escape it early: slide up to box 2 on the B and E strings for higher bends.
  • The 4th (F#) bent a whole step up to the 5th (G#) is the single most-used bend in blues; practice hitting it in tune.
  • Rub the flat 3rd (E) against a major-key backing for blues grit, or curl it slightly sharp toward the major 3rd like the classic players.
  • Add the flat 5th (G) as a passing note and you have the C# blues scale; use it in transit, not as a resting place.

How to play C♯ minor pentatonic on guitar

Both E strings and the open B belong to C# minor pentatonic, the E strings a minor third above the root and B the flat seventh. None of them is C# itself, so open-string runs resolve away from home unless you steer them to fret 4 on the A string. Box one anchors at fret 9. A capo at fret 1 turns the whole key into C shapes, which means open-position C minor pentatonic fingerings transfer straight across. Same shape, different owner: E major pentatonic claims it from 3 semitones above, so borrowed major-side phrases need no new fingering.

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