Also written Ionian, Rast or Bilawal
C♯ major contains C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯, and B♯. Box 1 spans frets 1–4 with roots on string 3, fret 4 and string 1, fret 6.
C♯ major is built from the whole-step, whole-step, half-step pattern W, W, H, W, W, W, H. It is the Ionian mode of C♯. Compare its seven notes to the five-note C♯ major pentatonic, which omits E♯ and B♯.
C♯ major fits C♯ major and C♯ 5th chords. Use it over I–IV–V progressions in C♯, such as C♯–F♯–G♯.
Practise Box 1 first. It places the root C♯ on string 3, fret 4 and keeps the scale within frets 1–4.
C♯ major in box 1 runs from fret 1 to fret 4, 11 notes across 4 strings, from E♯ on the E string at fret 1 up to A♯ on the G string at fret 3. The root falls on the A string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 1, 2, 4 | E♯, F♯, G♯ |
| 3 (A) | 1, 3, 4 | A♯, B♯, C♯ |
| 2 (D) | 1, 3, 4 | D♯, E♯, F♯ |
| 1 (G) | 1, 3 | G♯, A♯ |
C♯ major in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 6, 8 notes across 4 strings, from G♯ on the E string at fret 4 up to C♯ on the G string at fret 6. The root falls on the A string at fret 4 and the G string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 4, 6 | G♯, A♯ |
| 3 (A) | 4, 6 | C♯, D♯ |
| 2 (D) | 4, 6 | F♯, G♯ |
| 1 (G) | 5, 6 | B♯, C♯ |
C♯ major in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 10 notes across 4 strings, from A♯ on the E string at fret 6 up to D♯ on the G string at fret 8. The root falls on the E string at fret 9 and the G string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 6, 8, 9 | A♯, B♯, C♯ |
| 3 (A) | 6, 8, 9 | D♯, E♯, F♯ |
| 2 (D) | 6, 8 | G♯, A♯ |
| 1 (G) | 6, 8 | C♯, D♯ |
C♯ major in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 11, 8 notes across 4 strings, from C♯ on the E string at fret 9 up to F♯ on the G string at fret 11. The root falls on the E string at fret 9 and the D string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 9, 11 | C♯, D♯ |
| 3 (A) | 9, 11 | F♯, G♯ |
| 2 (D) | 10, 11 | B♯, C♯ |
| 1 (G) | 10, 11 | E♯, F♯ |
C♯ major in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 9 notes across 4 strings, from D♯ on the E string at fret 11 up to G♯ on the G string at fret 13. The root falls on the D string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11, 13, 14 | D♯, E♯, F♯ |
| 3 (A) | 11, 13 | G♯, A♯ |
| 2 (D) | 11, 13 | C♯, D♯ |
| 1 (G) | 11, 13 | F♯, G♯ |
C♯ major, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 3 and runs from fret 1 to fret 5, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 4.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 1, 2, 4 | E♯, F♯, G♯ |
| 3 (A) | 1, 3, 4 | A♯, B♯, C♯ |
| 2 (D) | 1, 3, 4 | D♯, E♯, F♯ |
| 1 (G) | 1, 3, 5 | G♯, A♯, B♯ |
C♯ major, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 4 and runs from fret 2 to fret 6, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 4 and the G string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 2, 4, 6 | F♯, G♯, A♯ |
| 3 (A) | 3, 4, 6 | B♯, C♯, D♯ |
| 2 (D) | 3, 4, 6 | E♯, F♯, G♯ |
| 1 (G) | 3, 5, 6 | A♯, B♯, C♯ |
C♯ major, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 5 and runs from fret 4 to fret 8, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 4 and the G string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 4, 6, 8 | G♯, A♯, B♯ |
| 3 (A) | 4, 6, 8 | C♯, D♯, E♯ |
| 2 (D) | 4, 6, 8 | F♯, G♯, A♯ |
| 1 (G) | 5, 6, 8 | B♯, C♯, D♯ |
C♯ major, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 6 and runs from fret 6 to fret 10, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 9 and the G string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 6, 8, 9 | A♯, B♯, C♯ |
| 3 (A) | 6, 8, 9 | D♯, E♯, F♯ |
| 2 (D) | 6, 8, 10 | G♯, A♯, B♯ |
| 1 (G) | 6, 8, 10 | C♯, D♯, E♯ |
C♯ major, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 7 and runs from fret 8 to fret 11, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 9 and the D string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 8, 9, 11 | B♯, C♯, D♯ |
| 3 (A) | 8, 9, 11 | E♯, F♯, G♯ |
| 2 (D) | 8, 10, 11 | A♯, B♯, C♯ |
| 1 (G) | 8, 10, 11 | D♯, E♯, F♯ |
C♯ major, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 9 to fret 13, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 9 and the D string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 9, 11, 13 | C♯, D♯, E♯ |
| 3 (A) | 9, 11, 13 | F♯, G♯, A♯ |
| 2 (D) | 10, 11, 13 | B♯, C♯, D♯ |
| 1 (G) | 10, 11, 13 | E♯, F♯, G♯ |
C♯ major, position 7 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 2 and runs from fret 11 to fret 15, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 11.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11, 13, 14 | D♯, E♯, F♯ |
| 3 (A) | 11, 13, 15 | G♯, A♯, B♯ |
| 2 (D) | 11, 13, 15 | C♯, D♯, E♯ |
| 1 (G) | 11, 13, 15 | F♯, G♯, A♯ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
C♯ major contains C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯, and B♯. The scale follows the pattern W, W, H, W, W, W, H. These notes form the Ionian mode on C♯. It is also spelled D♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
C♯ major fits C♯ major and C♯ 5th chords. It also works over the diatonic chords of C♯ major. Use it for progressions like C♯–F♯–G♯.
C♯ major has seven notes; C♯ major pentatonic has five. The pentatonic omits E♯ and B♯. The full scale adds the fourth and seventh degrees.