C# Major-minor Guitar Scale

C# Major-minor Scale — Notes and Intervals

The C# Major-minor scale is a modal chimera whose lower half radiates major brightness while its upper half descends into minor shadow. On Guitar, the notes are C#, D#, F, F#, G#, A, B. This split personality makes it indispensable for cinematic scoring and bittersweet jazz passages, where a single melodic line must convey hope and melancholy simultaneously. Commonly used in Film Scores, Classical, Jazz, Progressive. Notable players include Ennio Morricone, Hans Zimmer, Pat Metheny. Use over dominant 7th chords resolving to minor (V7 to im). The major 3rd supports dominant function while the b6 and b7 pull toward minor resolution. Works well over bittersweet cinematic passages.

Notes: C#, D#, F, F#, G#, A, B

Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4P, 5P, 6m, 7m

Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 b6 b7

Formula: W-W-H-W-H-W-W

Number of notes: 7

Musical Character

A modal chimera: the lower half is pure major (W-W-H-W) while the upper half switches to minor (H-W-W). This split personality creates a scale that starts bright and ends dark within a single octave.

Genres & Notable Artists

Genres: Film Scores, Classical, Jazz, Progressive

Notable players: Ennio Morricone, Hans Zimmer, Pat Metheny

How to Use the C# Major-minor Scale

Use over dominant 7th chords resolving to minor (V7 to im). The major 3rd supports dominant function while the b6 and b7 pull toward minor resolution. Works well over bittersweet cinematic passages.

Origin & Background

Also known as the Hindu scale or Mixolydian b6. This mode occupies the exact midpoint between major and minor tonality, with its lower pentachord drawn from the major scale and its upper tetrachord from the natural minor. Found in Indian classical music and widely used in Western film scoring for scenes of ambivalent emotion.

How to Play C# Major-minor on Guitar

Place your index finger at fret 9 on the 6th (low E) to find your C# root note. Use a three-notes-per-string fingering to cover the full scale in one position, or learn the CAGED shapes to navigate the entire fretboard. An alternative starting point is 4th fret on the A string.

The C# Major-minor scale contains 4 sharps (C#, D#, F#, G#). Its relative major is F major, which shares the same key signature.

Practice Routine — Exercises for Playing

Set a metronome to 80 BPM and play the C# Major-minor scale in groups of four notes, shifting the starting note each repetition. This builds muscle memory across the entire scale range. After a week, try improvising short 4-bar phrases using only these notes.

Experiment with simple two-chord vamps rooted on C# to let the characteristic intervals of the Major-minor scale come through clearly. This scale is especially effective in progressive contexts.

Guitar Tips

On guitar, practice the C# Major-minor scale on a single string from the open position to the 12th fret. This trains your ear to hear the intervals linearly and helps with slide guitar applications. Aim for a bittersweet quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.

Related Scales

Major-minor is the 5th mode of the Melodic Minor scale (also called Mixolydian b6 or Hindu scale). View C# Melodic minor scale

• C# Mixolydian b6
• C# Mixolydian
• C# Harmonic major
• C# Aeolian

The C# Major-minor scale contains 7 notes (C#, D#, F, F#, G#, A, B). Use the interactive fretboard diagram above to explore each shape and pattern on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges. Practice ascending and descending from the root note to learn the sound of this scale.

CAGED Positions & Patterns for C# Major-minor

The C# Major-minor scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 7-note scale, it also lends itself to 3-notes-per-string (3NPS) patterns that facilitate legato playing and diagonal shifting. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.

Explore C# Major-minor Further

• Harmonize the C# Major-minor scale — triads & 7th chords
• Browse chord progressions
• C# Major-minor on Ukulele
• C# Major-minor on Bass
• C# Major-minor on Piano

Explore C# Major-minor in Other Tunings

• C# Major-minor in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
• C# Major-minor in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
• C# Major-minor in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
• C# Major-minor in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
• C# Major-minor in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
• C# Major-minor in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
• C# Major-minor in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
• C# Major-minor in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
• C# Major-minor in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
• C# Major-minor in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
• C# Major-minor in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
• C# Major-minor in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
• C# Major-minor in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
• C# Major-minor in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)

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