Scales · Whole Tone Key of C♯

C♯ Whole Tone Scale on guitar · notes, intervals & diagram

The C♯ Whole Tone scale contains the notes C♯, D♯, F, G, A, B. Six equally-spaced notes, no semitones — the symmetrical "dreamlike" scale. No clear tonic; ambiguous and weightless.

Standard tuning · 15 frets

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EADGBE 35791215 F G A B C♯ D♯ F G A B C♯ D♯ F G A B D♯ F G A B C♯ D♯ F G A B C♯ D♯ F G A B C♯ D♯ F G A B C♯ F G A B C♯ D♯ F G Root Scale note

Notes & intervals.

# Degree Note
1 1 C♯ root
2 2 D♯
3 3 F
4 #4 G
5 #5 A
6 b7 B

Sound & use

Six equally-spaced notes, no semitones — the symmetrical "dreamlike" scale. No clear tonic; ambiguous and weightless.

Debussy and Impressionist piano, jazz over dominant 7#5 chords (Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk), dream sequences, cartoon "spell" effects.

Common in: jazz, impressionist, film

Try it interactively

Scale generator →

Other scales

Other scales in the key of C♯.

Scale

C♯ Major

Bright, resolved, optimistic — the default sound of Western pop, folk and most children's music.

Scale

C♯ Natural Minor

Melancholy, introspective, serious — but not desperately sad. The classic "minor key" sound.

Scale

C♯ Major Pentatonic

The major scale with the 4 and 7 removed — five notes that "always work" over a major chord. Sweet, melodic, never dissonant.

Scale

C♯ Minor Pentatonic

The scale that built rock and blues. Bluesy, plaintive, and easy to play in five connected positions across the neck.

Scale

C♯ Blues

Minor pentatonic plus the "blue note" (b5). Gritty, vocal, instantly recognisable as the blues.

Scale

C♯ Dorian

Minor with a major 6th — darker than major, warmer than natural minor. Sophisticated, hopeful-melancholy.

Scale

C♯ Phrygian

Minor with a flat 2nd — exotic, Spanish, slightly menacing. The b2 is the defining sound.

Scale

C♯ Lydian

Major with a raised 4th — dreamy, suspended, otherworldly. The sound of film-score wonder.

Scale

C♯ Mixolydian

Major with a flat 7th — bright but bluesy. The "rock major scale".

Scale

C♯ Locrian

The "weird one" — minor with both a flat 2nd and a flat 5th. Restless, dissonant, hard to resolve.

Scale

C♯ Harmonic Minor

Natural minor with a raised 7th — creates the dramatic 1.5-step gap between b6 and 7. Classical, neo-classical, Middle-Eastern flavours.

Scale

C♯ Melodic Minor

Minor scale with a major 6th and 7th going up (jazz/ascending form). Sophisticated, slippery, modern.

Scale

C♯ Phrygian Dominant

Phrygian with a major 3rd — the iconic flamenco/Middle-Eastern sound. Major flavour, minor tension.

Scale

C♯ Hungarian Minor

Two augmented seconds (between b3–#4 and b6–7) give this scale its distinctive Eastern European / Romani drama.

Scale

C♯ Hirajoshi

Traditional Japanese pentatonic — austere, contemplative, instantly evocative of koto music.

All keys

Whole Tone scale in every key.

FAQ

About the C♯ Whole Tone scale
on guitar.

What notes are in the C♯ Whole Tone scale?

The C♯ Whole Tone scale contains the notes C♯, D♯, F, G, A, B. The intervals from the root are 1, 2, 3, #4, #5, b7.

Where does the C♯ Whole Tone scale come from?

It's the Whole Tone scale rooted on C♯. Six equally-spaced notes, no semitones — the symmetrical "dreamlike" scale. No clear tonic; ambiguous and weightless. Debussy and Impressionist piano, jazz over dominant 7#5 chords (Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk), dream sequences, cartoon "spell" effects.

How do I practise the C♯ Whole Tone scale on guitar?

Start with the diagram on this page — find the root notes (the orange dots) and play through the pattern slowly, alternating picking. Once the shape is in your hands, set a metronome at around 60 BPM and play it ascending and descending in eighth-notes. Use the free metronome to keep yourself honest.

Which genres use the C♯ Whole Tone scale?

The Whole Tone scale is found across jazz, impressionist, film. The character of the key — C♯ — affects how it feels rather than how it works: a C♯ Whole Tone solo has the same intervals and the same emotional shape as any other Whole Tone solo, just transposed.

Can I print the C♯ Whole Tone fretboard diagram?

Yes. Use your browser's print function (Cmd/Ctrl + P) — the diagram on this page is a vector SVG that prints crisply at any size. Or use the interactive scale generator to export the same diagram as a standalone SVG or PNG file.