Guitar scale · natural minor, Aeolian mode
C# Minor Scale
Emotional, sad, and epic tones defined by the classic natural minor scale.
Tap any note to hear it.
C# Minor 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|---------------------------------------9-11-12-| B|---------------------------------10-12---------| G|-------------------------9-11-13---------------| D|-----------------9-11-13-----------------------| A|---------9-11-12-------------------------------| E|-9-11-12---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-14----------------| D|-------------------11-13-14-------------------------| A|----------11-12-14----------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-17-| B|----------------------------------14-16-17----------| G|-------------------------13-14-16-------------------| D|----------------13-14-16----------------------------| A|----------14-16-------------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-19-| B|-------------------------------------17-19----------| G|----------------------------16-18-20----------------| D|-------------------16-18-19-------------------------| A|----------16-18-19----------------------------------| E|-16-17-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-21-| B|----------------------------------19-21-22-------| G|-------------------------18-20-21----------------| D|----------------18-19-21-------------------------| A|-------18-19-21----------------------------------| E|-19-21-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Minor 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# Minor uses exactly the same notes as E major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the E Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C# |
| 2 | D# |
| ♭3 | E |
| 4 | F# |
| 5 | G# |
| ♭6 | A |
| ♭7 | B |
Chords in C# Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | C#m | C#m7 | Tonic |
| ii° | D#dim | D#m7b5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III | E | Emaj7 | Mediant |
| iv | F#m | F#m7 | Subdominant |
| v | G#m | G#m7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | A | Amaj7 | Submediant |
| ♭VII | B | B7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# Minor 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.
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- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the C# Minor Scale?
- The C# Minor Scale has 7 notes: C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A, B.
- What chords are in the C# Minor Scale?
- The chords of C# Minor are C#m (i), D#dim (ii°), E (♭III), F#m (iv), G#m (v), A (♭VI), B (♭VII).
- What is the formula of the minor scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W H W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C# Minor 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.