Scales in the Key of C

Click on the scale name link for a diagram and explanation of each scale type:

C Major Scale | C Natural Minor Scale | C Harmonic Minor Scale | C Melodic Minor Scale | C Major Pentatonic Scale | C Minor Pentatonic Scale | C Major Blues Scale | C Minor Blues Scale

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C MAJOR SCALE

Major scales contain seven notes arranged in a pattern of whole and half steps: W-W-H-W-W-W-H.

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C NATURAL MINOR SCALE

Natural minor scales follow the key signature of their relative major key and have no additional accidentals.

The relative major key of C minor is E-flat major. Therefore, C minor has three flats: B♭, E♭, and A♭.

TIP: To find the relative major key, count up three half-steps from the root note of the minor key.

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C HARMONIC MINOR SCALE

Harmonic minor scales follow the key signature of the relative major key and raise the seventh note of the scale by one half-step.

The relative major key of C minor is E-flat major and the seventh note of C minor is B♭. Therefore, C minor has three flats (B♭, E♭, and A♭) but B♭ is raised to B.

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C MELODIC MINOR SCALE

In melodic minor scales, we raise the sixth and seventh notes up one half-step when ascending and lower them back down when descending. Melodic minor scales follow the key signature of the scale’s relative major.

The relative major key of C minor is E-flat major. Therefore, C minor has three flats (B♭, E♭, and A♭) and A♭ and B♭ are the sixth and seventh notes. We raise A♭ and B♭ to A♮ and B♮ when ascending the melodic minor scale, and we lower them back to A♭ and B♭ when descending.

Ascending

Descending

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C MAJOR PENTATONIC SCALE

A major pentatonic scale is a five-note scale built on the following major scale degrees: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6.

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C MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE

A minor pentatonic scale is a five-note scale built on the following minor scale degrees: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7.

You can also think of the minor pentatonic scale as being built on the following major scale degrees: 1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7.

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C MAJOR BLUES SCALE

A major blues scale is built on the following major scale degrees: 1, 2, ♭3, 3, 5, 6.

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C MINOR BLUES SCALE

A minor blues scale is built on the following minor scale degrees: 1, 3, 4, ♭5, 5, 7

You can also think of it as being built on the following major scale degrees: 1, ♭3, 4, ♭5, 5, ♭7

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