C Blues Scale

72 scales in every key on a map of the whole neck: positions, patterns, and every note played as it lights up.

The C blues scale has 6 notes: C – E♭ – F – G♭ – G – B♭. The blues scale is the minor pentatonic plus one note, the ♭5 or “blue note”. That note is a passing tone: slide or bend through it and the line sounds instantly bluesy. It works over all three chords of a 12-bar blues.

Compared with the C major scale it has ♭3 (E♭ instead of E), ♭5 (G♭ instead of G), ♭7 (B♭ instead of B).

The explorer above is set to C blues: the whole neck is mapped, and you can zoom into any of its 6 positions, change the labels to degrees or fingers, and hear it up, down and in patterns.

C blues scale notes

Degree	Note	Interval from C	Frets above the root	Sargam
1	C	R	0	S
♭3	E♭	m3	3	g
4	F	P4	5	M
♭5	G♭	d5	6	M'
5	G	P5	7	P
♭7	B♭	m7	10	n

Steps between the notes: W+H W H H W+H W (W = two frets, H = one fret). Start on any C and follow those steps up one string to play the scale.

C blues scale positions on the guitar

C blues splits into 6 hand positions, each within five frets. Position 1 starts on C on the low E string at fret 8; each next position starts on the next note of the scale. In standard tuning, high string first:

Position	E (1st)	B	G	D	A	E (6th)
Position 1 frets 8–11	8 11	8 11	8 10 11	8 10	8 9 10	8 11
Position 2 frets 11–15	11 13 14 15	11 13	11 12	13 15	13 15	11 13 14 15
Position 3 frets 13–17	13 14 15	13 16	15	13 15 16 17	13 15	13 14 15
Position 4 frets 14–18	14 15 18	16 18	15 17	15 16 17	15 18	14 15 18
Position 5 frets 15–19	15 18	16 18 19	15 17	15 16 17	15 18	15 18
Position 6 frets 18–22	18 20	18 19 20	20	20 22	18 20 21 22	18 20

What C blues fits over

With 6 notes it is not used to build a whole key of chords; instead it sits over every chord of a 12-bar blues (I7, IV7 and V7), minor chords and power chords. With C as the root: C7, Cm7, C5.

Where you hear it

C blues is used in blues, rock, jazz and funk. It sounds best over every chord of a 12-bar blues (I7, IV7 and V7), minor chords and power chords.

Backing tracks to practise C blues

C minor blues C minor rock C minor funk Cm Bollywood

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 8–11) slowly, up and down, saying the note names.
Play it with the pattern set to In 3s, then In 4s, at a tempo where every note is clean.
Learn position 2 and how it joins position 1: the notes they share are where your hand moves.
Switch the labels to degrees and find every C (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on C.