Also written Diatonic, Gong or Mongolian
C♯ major pentatonic uses C♯, D♯, E♯, G♯, and A♯. Box 1 spans frets 1–4 with roots on the fifth, third, and second strings.
C♯ major pentatonic drops the fourth and seventh from C♯ major, leaving intervals 1, 2, 3, 5, 6. The parent scale is C♯ major. Removing F♯ and B♯ eliminates the tritone and leading tone, producing a bright, open sound.
C♯ major pentatonic fits C♯ major and C♯ 5th chords, and it also works over D♯ 5th and G♯ 5th. Use it for rock and pop in the key of C♯ major. Try it over C♯ major or C♯ 5th.
Learn Box 1 first. Its root on the fifth string, fourth fret gives a compact shape that connects to the open C♯ chord.
C♯ major pentatonic in box 1 runs from fret 1 to fret 4, 12 notes across 6 strings, from E♯ on the low E string at fret 1 up to G♯ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the A string at fret 4 and the B string at fret 2.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 4 | E♯, G♯ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 4 | A♯, C♯ |
| 4 (D) | 1, 3 | D♯, E♯ |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3 | G♯, A♯ |
| 2 (B) | 2, 4 | C♯, D♯ |
| 1 (e) | 1, 4 | E♯, G♯ |
C♯ major pentatonic in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 6, 10 notes across 6 strings, from G♯ on the low E string at fret 4 up to A♯ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the A string at fret 4 and the G string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6 | G♯, A♯ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6 | C♯, D♯ |
| 4 (D) | 6 | G♯ |
| 3 (G) | 6 | C♯ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 6 | D♯, E♯ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6 | G♯, A♯ |
C♯ major pentatonic in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 12 notes across 6 strings, from A♯ on the low E string at fret 6 up to C♯ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the low E string at fret 9, the G string at fret 6 and the high e string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 9 | A♯, C♯ |
| 5 (A) | 6, 8 | D♯, E♯ |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8 | G♯, A♯ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 8 | C♯, D♯ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 9 | E♯, G♯ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 9 | A♯, C♯ |
C♯ major pentatonic in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 11, 9 notes across 6 strings, from C♯ on the low E string at fret 9 up to D♯ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the low E string at fret 9, the D string at fret 11 and the high e string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 11 | C♯, D♯ |
| 5 (A) | 11 | G♯ |
| 4 (D) | 11 | C♯ |
| 3 (G) | 10 | E♯ |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11 | G♯, A♯ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11 | C♯, D♯ |
C♯ major pentatonic in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 11 notes across 6 strings, from D♯ on the low E string at fret 11 up to E♯ on the high e string at fret 13. The root falls on the D string at fret 11 and the B string at fret 14.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 13 | D♯, E♯ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13 | G♯, A♯ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13 | C♯, D♯ |
| 3 (G) | 13 | G♯ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 14 | A♯, C♯ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 13 | D♯, E♯ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
C♯ major pentatonic contains C♯, D♯, E♯, G♯, and A♯. These are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th degrees of the C♯ major scale. The fourth and seventh are omitted. It is also spelled D♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
C♯ major pentatonic fits C♯ major and C♯ 5th chords directly. It also works over D♯ 5th and G♯ 5th in progressions. The scale avoids the fourth and seventh, so it rarely clashes.
C♯ major pentatonic shares the same notes as A♯ minor pentatonic. The difference is the tonal center: C♯ major pentatonic resolves to C♯, while A♯ minor pentatonic resolves to A♯.