Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
C# Yo Scale
Pentatonic scale 1 2 4 5 6 with no half steps and no 3rd. It is called ritusen in Indian music.
Tap any note to hear it.
C# Yo 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-| B|-----------------9-11------| G|--------------11-----------| D|-----------11--------------| A|------9-11-----------------| E|-9-11----------------------|
e|-------------------------------11-14-| B|-------------------------11-14-------| G|-------------------11-13-------------| D|-------------11-13-------------------| A|-------11-13-------------------------| E|-11-14-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------14-16-| B|-------------------------14-16-------| G|-------------------13-15-------------| D|-------------13-16-------------------| A|-------13-16-------------------------| E|-14-16-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------16-18-| B|----------------------16-19-------| G|-------------------18-------------| D|-------------16-18----------------| A|-------16-18----------------------| E|-16-18----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------18-21-| B|-------------------------19-21-------| G|-------------------18-20-------------| D|-------------18-20-------------------| A|-------18-21-------------------------| E|-18-21-------------------------------|
How to play C# Yo 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 (4, 5), 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 9–12. 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.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C# |
| 2 | D# |
| 4 | F# |
| 5 | G# |
| 6 | A# |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# Yo 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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- 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
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Questions
- What notes are in the C# Yo Scale?
- The C# Yo Scale has 5 notes: C#, D#, F#, G#, A#.
- What is the formula of the yo scale?
- 1 2 4 5 6, which is the step pattern W W+H W W W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C# Yo 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 9–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.