C Blues Scale
The C blues scale contains C – Eb – F – Gb – G – Bb. It is C minor pentatonic plus one added note, the blue note Gb, between the 4th and 5th. It is also called the minor blues scale.
C blues scale chart
Pentatonic and blues scales have no standard book fingering, so none is shown here. Pick fingers that keep your thumb off the black keys.
C blues vs C minor pentatonic
| Degree | 1 | b3 | 4 | b5 | 5 | b7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentatonic | C | Eb | F | – | G | Bb |
| Blues | C | Eb | F | Gb | G | Bb |
The blue note is the only addition. It is a passing note, a half step from both F and G: slide through it on the way between them rather than resting on it.
What C blues is used for
It is the sound of blues soloing, and of a lot of rock and jazz too. A 12-bar blues in C uses three dominant 7th chords, C7, F7 and G7, and this one scale works over all of them. Its minor 3rd, Eb, clashes on purpose with the E in C7, and that rub is the blues sound.
Notes and intervals
| Note | Degree | Interval from C | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | root | 0 |
| Eb | b3 | minor 3rd | 3 |
| F | 4 | perfect 4th | 5 |
| Gb | b5 | diminished 5th | 6 |
| G | 5 | perfect 5th | 7 |
| Bb | b7 | minor 7th | 10 |
Step pattern
The blues scale is built from the pattern W+H – W – H – H – W+H – W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = three semitones). Apply that pattern from any starting note and you get the same scale in a different key.
Key signature and accidentals
Blues is normally written with accidentals over the key signature of the piece. C minor has 3 flats: Bb, Eb and Ab, and the blue note Gb falls outside it, so it always takes an accidental. See the key of C minor for the chords of the minor key.
Chords using only these notes
The dominant 7th chords of a blues are not in this list because they contain notes outside the scale. These can be played with C blues alone.
| Chord | Notes |
|---|---|
| Cm | C Eb G |
| Cdim | C Eb Gb |
| Cm7 | C Eb G Bb |
| Csus4 | C F G |
| Eb | Eb G Bb |
| Ebm | Eb Gb Bb |
| Ebsus2 | Eb F Bb |
| Ebmaj6 | Eb G Bb C |
| Ebm6 | Eb Gb Bb C |
| Fsus2 | F G C |
| Fsus4 | F Bb C |
| Bbsus2 | Bb C F |
| Bbsus4 | Bb Eb F |
More scales on C
Blues scale in other keys
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the C blues scale?
The C blues scale contains C, Eb, F, Gb, G, Bb, then returns to C an octave higher.
What is the blue note in C blues?
Gb, between the 4th (F) and the 5th (G).
What chords does the C blues scale work over?
A 12-bar blues in C: C7, F7, G7. It also fits C minor chords.
What is the step pattern of the blues scale?
It follows the pattern W+H – W – H – H – W+H – W, where W is a whole step (two semitones), H is a half step (one semitone) and W+H is three semitones.