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C♯ melodic minor scale on bass guitar
C♯ melodic minor contains C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A♯, B♯. Box 1 starts on string 3, fret 4 and spans frets 0–3.
How it is built
Formula 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, 6, 7
How do you play the C♯ melodic minor scale on bass?
C♯ melodic minor in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 8 notes across 4 strings, from E on the E string at fret 0 up to A♯ on the G string at fret 3. No root falls inside this box; it sits between two of them.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 0, 2 | E, F♯ |
| 3 (A) | 1, 3 | A♯, B♯ |
| 2 (D) | 1, 2 | D♯, E |
| 1 (G) | 1, 3 | G♯, A♯ |
Box 2 · frets 2–5
C♯ melodic minor in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 8 notes across 4 strings, from F♯ on the E string at fret 2 up to B♯ on the G string at fret 5. The root falls on the A string at fret 4.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 2, 4 | F♯, G♯ |
| 3 (A) | 3, 4 | B♯, C♯ |
| 2 (D) | 2, 4 | E, F♯ |
| 1 (G) | 3, 5 | A♯, B♯ |
Box 3 · frets 4–7
C♯ melodic minor in box 3 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 9 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.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 4, 6 | G♯, A♯ |
| 3 (A) | 4, 6, 7 | C♯, D♯, E |
| 2 (D) | 4, 6 | F♯, G♯ |
| 1 (G) | 5, 6 | B♯, C♯ |
Box 4 · frets 6–9
C♯ melodic minor in box 4 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 11 notes across 4 strings, from A♯ on the E string at fret 6 up to E on the G string at fret 9. The root falls on the E string at fret 9 and the G string at fret 6.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 6, 8, 9 | A♯, B♯, C♯ |
| 3 (A) | 6, 7, 9 | D♯, E, F♯ |
| 2 (D) | 6, 8 | G♯, A♯ |
| 1 (G) | 6, 8, 9 | C♯, D♯, E |
Box 5 · frets 9–12
C♯ melodic minor in box 5 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 9 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.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 9, 11, 12 | C♯, D♯, E |
| 3 (A) | 9, 11 | F♯, G♯ |
| 2 (D) | 10, 11 | B♯, C♯ |
| 1 (G) | 9, 11 | E, F♯ |
Box 6 · frets 11–14
C♯ melodic minor in box 6 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 10 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.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11, 12, 14 | D♯, E, F♯ |
| 3 (A) | 11, 13 | G♯, A♯ |
| 2 (D) | 11, 13, 14 | C♯, D♯, E |
| 1 (G) | 11, 13 | F♯, G♯ |
Why it sounds like that
C♯ melodic minor raises the sixth and seventh degrees of C♯ natural minor, so A and B become A♯ and B♯. Compare with C♯ major, which has a major third instead of E. The pattern is W, H, W, W, W, W, H.
When to use it
C♯ melodic minor fits C♯ minor and C♯ 5th chords, especially in jazz and fusion. Use it over the tonic in C♯ minor keys when the harmony includes the major sixth or seventh. It also works over F♯ major and G♯ major chords as borrowed tones.
Which position to practise
Practise Box 1 first. The root sits on string 3, fret 4, keeping the hand in frets 0–3 for easy access to the raised sixth and seventh.
Common questions
What notes are in C♯ melodic minor?
C♯ melodic minor contains C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A♯, and B♯. The scale has a minor third but raised sixth and seventh degrees. This gives it a distinctive major-minor hybrid sound. It is also spelled D♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
Which chords does C♯ melodic minor fit?
C♯ melodic minor fits C♯ minor and C♯ 5th chords. It also works over F♯ major and G♯ major chords. The raised sixth and seventh create smooth voice leading in minor-key progressions.
How does C♯ melodic minor differ from C♯ natural minor?
C♯ melodic minor raises the sixth and seventh degrees compared to C♯ natural minor. C♯ natural minor has A and B, while C♯ melodic minor has A♯ and B♯. This removes the augmented second interval between A and B♯.
What is the relative major of C♯ melodic minor?
The relative major of C♯ melodic minor is E major. Both scales share the same key signature of four sharps. However, C♯ melodic minor uses A♯ and B♯ as accidentals.