C# Melodic Minor: Notes and Shapes

Here is the C# melodic minor scale: C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A# and B#. The B# is the major 7th, a name for the note you fret as C, and the A# next to it is the raised 6th.

Place the root on the 9th fret of the low E string, or the 4th fret of the A string for a lower box. Compared with C# major, only the E is lowered, so the whole scale feels bright with a minor third at the centre. To move between boxes, try diagonal scale patterns.

Play the C# melodic minor scale

Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.

Notes of the C# melodic minor scale

NoteDegreeIntervalSemitones from root
C#1Root0
D#2Major 2nd2
Eb3Minor 3rd3
F#4Perfect 4th5
G#5Perfect 5th7
A#6Major 6th9
B#7Major 7th11

Structure

C# melodic minor scale notes:

C# D# E F# G# A# B#

How the melodic minor scale is built:

The melodic minor scale is built from the degrees 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7, which gives the step pattern W-H-W-W-W-W-H (W = whole step, H = half step).

Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.

It is the parent scale of its own modal family.

It is also known as Jazz Minor.

C# Melodic Minor Scale Guitar Patterns

Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - On one string (B)

On one string (B)

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 1

Box pattern — position 1

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 2

Box pattern — position 2

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 3

Box pattern — position 3

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 4

Box pattern — position 4

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - Box pattern — position 5

Box pattern — position 5

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 1

3 notes per string — position 1

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 2

3 notes per string — position 2

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 3

3 notes per string — position 3

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 4

3 notes per string — position 4

C# Melodic Minor Scale scale guitar pattern - 3 notes per string — position 5

3 notes per string — position 5

Chords in the C# melodic minor scale

Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.

DegreeTriadSeventh chord
1 C#m C#m(maj7)
2 D#m D#m7
b3 Eaug Emaj7(b13)
4 F# F#7
5 G# G#7
6 A#dim A#m7(b5)
7 B#dim B#m7(b5)

Related modes

These scales share the same notes as the melodic minor scale, starting from a different degree.

Dorian b2 Scale Lydian Augmented Scale Lydian Dominant Scale Mixolydian b6 Scale Aeolian b5 Scale Super Locrian Scale

The melodic minor scale in other keys

C C# Db D D# Eb E F F# Gb G G# Ab A A# Bb B

All about the melodic minor scale →

Giancarlo Facoetti, founder of FaChords Guitar

Created by

Giancarlo Facoetti

Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher