Guitar scale · Ionian mode
C# Major Scale
Bright, balanced major scale forming the foundation of Western music and pop/rock.
Tap any note to hear it.
C# Major Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------------------9-11-13-| B|-----------------------------------11-13---------| G|--------------------------10-11-13---------------| D|-----------------10-11-13------------------------| A|---------9-11-13---------------------------------| E|-9-11-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------13-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|-------------------11-13-15-------------------------| A|----------11-13-15----------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------14-16----------| G|----------------------------13-15-17----------------| D|-------------------13-15-16-------------------------| A|----------13-15-16----------------------------------| E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-20-| B|-------------------------------------18-19----------| G|----------------------------17-18-20----------------| D|-------------------16-18-20-------------------------| A|----------16-18-20----------------------------------| E|-16-18-20-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-21-| B|-------------------------------------19-21----------| G|----------------------------18-20-22----------------| D|-------------------18-20-22-------------------------| A|----------18-20-21----------------------------------| E|-18-20-21-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Major on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C# on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 9–13. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
C# major shares all its notes with A# minor, its relative minor. On the guitar those are the same frets as Bb minor, the name it is listed under here. See the Bb Minor Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C# |
| 2 | D# |
| 3 | E# |
| 4 | F# |
| 5 | G# |
| 6 | A# |
| 7 | B# |
Chords in C# Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | C# | C#maj7 | Tonic |
| ii | D#m | D#m7 | Supertonic |
| iii | E#m | E#m7 | Mediant |
| IV | F# | F#maj7 | Subdominant |
| V | G# | G#7 | Dominant |
| vi | A#m | A#m7 | Submediant |
| vii° | B#dim | B#m7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# Major anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the C# Major Scale?
- The C# Major Scale has 7 notes: C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B#.
- What chords are in the C# Major Scale?
- The chords of C# Major are C# (I), D#m (ii), E#m (iii), F# (IV), G# (V), A#m (vi), B#dim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C# Major on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.