Guitar scale · exotic
C Tritone Scale
Six-note scale 1 ♭2 3 ♯4 5 ♭7. It is made of two major triads a tritone apart.
Tap any note to hear it.
C Tritone 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|--------------------------------8-9-12-| B|-----------------------------11--------| G|---------------------9-11-12-----------| D|-------------8-10-11-------------------| A|--------9-10---------------------------| E|-8-9-12--------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------12-14-| B|----------------------------11-13-14-------| G|----------------------11-12----------------| D|-------------10-11-14----------------------| A|-------10-13-------------------------------| E|-12-14-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------13-14----------| G|-------------------------12-15----------------| D|-------------------14-16----------------------| A|----------13-15-16----------------------------| E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------15-18-| B|-------------------------------17-19-------| G|----------------------15-17-18-------------| D|----------------16-17----------------------| A|-------15-16-19----------------------------| E|-15-18-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------18-20-21-| B|-------------------------------19-20----------| G|----------------------17-18-21----------------| D|----------------17-20-------------------------| A|----------19-21-------------------------------| E|-18-20-21-------------------------------------|
How to play C Tritone on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 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 8–12. 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 | Db |
| 3 | E |
| ♯4 | F# |
| 5 | G |
| ♭7 | Bb |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C Tritone 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
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One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Tritone Scale?
- The C Tritone Scale has 6 notes: C, Db, E, F#, G, Bb.
- What is the formula of the tritone scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 ♯4 5 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W+H W H W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C Tritone on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.