C♯ Blues Scale – Guitar

The minor pentatonic plus one extra note, the 'blue note' (b5), which gives blues and rock licks their bite. Here it is in C♯: the notes, the whole neck, all five boxes with TAB, and a backing track to practise over.

Notes in the C♯ blues scale

C♯1
Eb3
F♯4
Gb5
G♯5
Bb7

Formula: 1 – b3 – 4 – b5 – 5 – b7. Use it to solo over songs in C♯ minor, and over C♯ blues and rock progressions.

C♯ blues scale on the whole neck

C# Blues Scale on the whole neck, frets 0-15. Gold = the root (C#).

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<iframe src="https://jamease.app/embed/scales/c-sharp-blues" width="100%" height="300" style="border:0;max-width:900px" loading="lazy" title="C# Blues Scale on the guitar neck"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://jamease.app/scales/c-sharp-blues">C# Blues Scale on guitar</a> – diagram by JamEase</p>

The JamEase course map: chapter 1, Solo Foundations

Know the scale?
Now solo with it.

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Every note on the neck, with sound and TAB
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The 5 boxes (positions) with TAB

Each box is one hand position. Learn Box 1 first: play it up with the TAB, then back down, then move to the next box – together they cover the whole neck.

Box 1 · frets 9–12

C# Blues Scale, box 1

e|-------------------------------------9--12-|
B|-------------------------------9--12-------|
G|----------------------9--11-12-------------|
D|----------------9--11----------------------|
A|-------9--10-11----------------------------|
E|-9--12-------------------------------------|

Box 2 · frets 11–14

C# Blues Scale, box 2

e|----------------------------------12-14-|
B|----------------------------12-14-------|
G|-------------------11-12-13-------------|
D|-------------11-14----------------------|
A|-------11-14----------------------------|
E|-12-14----------------------------------|

Box 3 · frets 1–5

C# Blues Scale, box 3

e|-------------------------2-3-4-|
B|---------------------2-5-------|
G|-----------------1-4-----------|
D|-----------2-4-5---------------|
A|-------2-4---------------------|
E|-2-3-4-------------------------|

Box 4 · frets 4–7

C# Blues Scale, box 4

e|-----------------------4-7-|
B|-------------------5-7-----|
G|---------------4-6---------|
D|---------4-5-6-------------|
A|-----4-7-------------------|
E|-4-7-----------------------|

Box 5 · frets 6–9

C# Blues Scale, box 5

e|-----------------------7-9-|
B|-----------------7-8-9-----|
G|-------------6-9-----------|
D|---------6-9---------------|
A|-----7-9-------------------|
E|-7-9-----------------------|

3 C♯ minor licks to play with it

Box 1 licks from the JamEase lick library, written for C♯ minor (h = hammer-on, p = pull-off, / = slide, b = bend, ~ = vibrato).

Three steps home

Picking · Blues

The three notes every blues solo walks down to the root.

e|----------|
B|----------|
G|-11-9-----|
D|-------11-|
A|----------|
E|----------|

Ask and answer

Hammer-on · Pull-off · Blues

A short question, a rest, then the answer. Leave the space.

e|-------------------------|
B|---------9---------------|
G|-9h--11------11p-9-------|
D|---------------------11--|
A|-------------------------|
E|-------------------------|

First bend

Bend · Blues

Bend until it matches the next note, then walk home.

e|---------------------|
B|-----9---------------|
G|-11b-----11--9-------|
D|-----------------11--|
A|---------------------|
E|---------------------|

C♯ minor backing track

Play the boxes over this, starting and ending phrases on the gold root notes.

Slow Blues Rock Ballad Jam | Guitar Backing Track in C# Minor – Now YOU Shred Backing Tracks

Songs in C♯ minor

These songs are in C♯ minor, so this is a scale that fits for soloing over them:

Counting Stars – OneRepublic
Jolene – Dolly Parton
Shape Of You – Ed Sheeran
Skinny Love – Birdy
Summertime Sadness – Lana Del Rey
California Dreamin – The Mamas & The Papas
Slow Dancing In A Burning Room – John Mayer
The Cave – Mumford & Sons
This Is The Life – Amy Macdonald
Mean – Taylor Swift
Isnt She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
Those Eyes – New West

All songs in C♯ minor →

Other scales in C♯

Blues Scale in other keys

Put it to use: solo with it, step by step, starting with three notes.