C Minor Blues Guitar Scale — Baritone (B Standard)
Guitar scale in Baritone (B Standard) tuning — fretboard diagram
C Minor Blues in Baritone (B Standard) — Notes and Intervals
The C Minor Blues scale is the definitive scale of the blues tradition. On Guitar, it contains the notes C, Eb, F, Gb, G, Bb. By adding a chromatic tension note to the minor pentatonic, it creates the dirty and expressive grit associated with Chicago and Delta blues, essential for any player looking to add emotional bite to their solos. Commonly used in Blues, Rock, Jazz, R&B. Notable players include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy. Use over minor chords and dominant 7th chords in blues. The b5 is a passing tone — linger on it for tension, resolve to 4 or 5.
Notes: C, Eb, F, Gb, G, Bb
Intervals: 1P, 3m, 4P, 5d, 5P, 7m
Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 5 b6
Formula: WH-W-H-H-WH-W
Number of notes: 6
Tuning: Baritone (B Standard) (B-E-A-D-F#-B)
Also known as: blues
About Baritone (B Standard) Tuning
The baritone guitar is tuned a perfect fourth lower than standard guitar (B-E-A-D-F#-B), producing a distinctly beefy tone with serious low-end depth that sits perfectly between guitar and bass. Its rich, dark voice has made it a secret weapon in film scoring, ambient music, and moody songwriting where you need that unmistakable low-end warmth without losing clarity.
Unlike simply tuning a standard guitar down (which causes floppy strings and muddy tone), the baritone guitar uses a longer scale length (typically 27"-30") designed specifically for lower tunings. This gives each note clarity and definition even in the lowest register. Session musicians, film composers, and bedroom producers alike reach for the baritone when they need dark, atmospheric textures, doom-laden riffs, or simply a different sonic palette that standard guitar can't deliver.
Notable artists: Pat Metheny, Nels Cline, Brian Setzer, Baritone session players in Nashville
Best for: Moody songwriting, film scoring, ambient textures, doom metal, and any production that needs low-end depth with clarity
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- C Minor Blues in Standard Tuning
- C Minor Blues in Drop D
- C Minor Blues in DADGAD
- C Minor Blues in Open G
- C Minor Blues in 7-string
- C Minor Blues in 8-string
- C Minor Blues in Drop C
- C Minor Blues in Drop B
- C Minor Blues in Open D
- C Minor Blues in Half Step Down
- C Minor Blues in Open E
- C Minor Blues in Open A
- C Minor Blues in Double Drop D
- C Minor Blues in Open C