C blues scale
C blues scale is C – E♭ – F – G♭ – G – B♭, with E♭, G♭ and B♭. Formula 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
The notes, one step at a time
The step pattern is W+H W H H W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half). The half steps fall between F–G♭ and G♭–G. The wide steps are C–E♭ and G–B♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | root | |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | F | perfect fourth | |
| ♭5 | G♭ | tritone | |
| 5 | G | perfect fifth | |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor seventh |
How the blues scale sounds
The blues scale is the minor pentatonic with one extra note, the ♭5 (G♭). That note is meant to be passed through, not landed on: it's the gritty in-between sound of the blues.
Over a C7 chord the ♭3 (E♭) clashes with the chord's major third on purpose; bending it slightly sharp is the blues.
C blues scale is C minor pentatonic scale plus G♭. Hear C minor pentatonic scale and compare.
Where your hands go
On the piano it uses three black keys (E♭, G♭ and B♭) and three white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 8th fret of the low E string and spans frets 6–12: 15 notes, low string to high.
What to play it over
Every note of these chords is in the scale: Cm, Cm7, Csus4, E♭, E♭m, E♭sus2, Fsus2, B♭sus2, Fsus4, B♭sus4, E♭6, E♭m6.
Moving it around the guitar
Anchor points for C: low E string fret 8, A string fret 3 and 15. Treat the ♭5 as a passing note; slide through it rather than landing on it.
On the piano, C blues scale uses 3 black keys (E♭, G♭ and B♭) and 3 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's C–F, E♭–G♭, F–G, G♭–B♭, G–C, B♭–E♭.
Drills for C blues
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Groups of three: C E♭ F · E♭ F G♭ · F G♭ G · G♭ G B♭ · G B♭ C.
- Lean on G♭: C G♭ C G♭ C: the ♭5, the blue note, squeezed between the 4th and 5th.
Scales to compare with C blues
Blues scale in every key
C blues scale: questions
What are the notes of the C blues scale?
6 notes: C, E♭, F, G♭, G and B♭.
How many sharps or flats are in the C blues scale?
Three: E♭, G♭ and B♭.
What's the difference between C blues scale and C minor pentatonic scale?
It adds G♭.
What chords go with the C blues scale?
Any chord built only from its notes, for example Cm, Cm7, Csus4, E♭, E♭m and E♭sus2. In a 12-bar blues in C it also works over the IV and V seventh chords, where the clashing notes are part of the sound.
Generated from the step pattern 3-2-1-1-3-2 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.