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C# Pentatonic Scale

C sharp pentatonic can mean two five-note scales. The major version is C sharp, D sharp, E sharp, G sharp, A sharp; the minor version is C sharp, E, F sharp, G sharp, B. The name needs a qualifier because both begin on C sharp but use different notes.

  • Major: C sharp-D sharp-E sharp-G sharp-A sharp
  • Minor: C sharp-E-F sharp-G sharp-B
  • Five notes in either version
Hear C sharp minor pentatonicminor-pentatonic
C4C5

Which notes should you use?

C sharp major pentatonic takes degrees 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of the C sharp major scale. Its three-note tonic chord is C sharp-E sharp-G sharp. Those notes give you a clear place to start a major-key melody.

C sharp minor pentatonic uses degrees 1, flat 3, 4, 5 and flat 7. Its tonic chord is C sharp-E-G sharp. The two pentatonic sets share C sharp and G sharp, but the other three notes differ. When the chord is C# minor, begin with the minor set; when it is C# major, begin with the major set. Check longer notes against the accompaniment.

What changes at the keyboard?

E sharp in the major version is the piano key labeled F. E natural in the minor version is the adjacent key below it. The spelling keeps E as the third in both scales.

A five-note set leaves gaps compared with a seven-note scale. Neither common major nor common minor pentatonic version has a half step between adjacent scale notes. That gives you room to build small phrases, although it does not guarantee that every note fits every chord. Pentatonic and Blues Scales explains the two formulas and their limits.

Try a comparison

Play C sharp-E sharp-G sharp, then C sharp-E-G sharp. After that, try the two five-note lists and see whether you can hear the chord change in the melody.

For an added passing note in the minor set, continue to C# Blues Scale.

Keep going

Every pentatonic and blues scale

Open pentatonic and blues scales