C♯ natural minor scale on guitar

C♯ natural minor contains C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A, and B. Box 1 places the root on string 5, fret 4, spanning frets 0–2.

Positions on the neck1 of 6

Practice C♯ natural minor scale

How it is built

C♯1D♯2E♭3F♯4G♯5A♭6B♭7

Formula 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7

How do you play the C♯ natural minor scale on guitar?

C♯ natural minor in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 2, 12 notes across 6 strings, from E on the low E string at fret 0 up to F♯ on the high e string at fret 2. The root falls on the B string at fret 2.

Every note in this box, string by string

String	Frets	Notes
6 (E)	0, 2	E, F♯
5 (A)	0, 2	A, B
4 (D)	1, 2	D♯, E
3 (G)	1, 2	G♯, A
2 (B)	0, 2	B, C♯
1 (e)	0, 2	E, F♯

Box 2 · frets 2–5

C♯ natural minor in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 15 notes across 6 strings, from F♯ on the low E string at fret 2 up to A on the high e string at fret 5. The root falls on the A string at fret 4 and the B string at fret 2.

Every note in this box, string by string

String	Frets	Notes
6 (E)	2, 4, 5	F♯, G♯, A
5 (A)	2, 4	B, C♯
4 (D)	2, 4	E, F♯
3 (G)	2, 4	A, B
2 (B)	2, 4, 5	C♯, D♯, E
1 (e)	2, 4, 5	F♯, G♯, A

Box 3 · frets 4–7

C♯ natural minor in box 3 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 17 notes across 6 strings, from G♯ on the low E string at fret 4 up to B on the high e string at fret 7. 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
6 (E)	4, 5, 7	G♯, A, B
5 (A)	4, 6, 7	C♯, D♯, E
4 (D)	4, 6, 7	F♯, G♯, A
3 (G)	4, 6	B, C♯
2 (B)	4, 5, 7	D♯, E, F♯
1 (e)	4, 5, 7	G♯, A, B

Box 4 · frets 7–10

C♯ natural minor in box 4 runs from fret 7 to fret 10, 13 notes across 6 strings, from B on the low E string at fret 7 up to C♯ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the low E string at fret 9 and the high e string at fret 9.

Every note in this box, string by string

String	Frets	Notes
6 (E)	7, 9	B, C♯
5 (A)	7, 9	E, F♯
4 (D)	7, 9	A, B
3 (G)	8, 9	D♯, E
2 (B)	7, 9, 10	F♯, G♯, A
1 (e)	7, 9	B, C♯

Box 5 · frets 9–12

C♯ natural minor in box 5 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 16 notes across 6 strings, from C♯ on the low E string at fret 9 up to E on the high e string at fret 12. 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.

Every note in this box, string by string

String	Frets	Notes
6 (E)	9, 11, 12	C♯, D♯, E
5 (A)	9, 11, 12	F♯, G♯, A
4 (D)	9, 11	B, C♯
3 (G)	9, 11	E, F♯
2 (B)	9, 10, 12	G♯, A, B
1 (e)	9, 11, 12	C♯, D♯, E

Box 6 · frets 11–14

C♯ natural minor in box 6 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 17 notes across 6 strings, from D♯ on the low E string at fret 11 up to F♯ on the high e string at fret 14. The root falls on the D string at fret 11 and the B string at fret 14.

Every note in this box, string by string

String	Frets	Notes
6 (E)	11, 12, 14	D♯, E, F♯
5 (A)	11, 12, 14	G♯, A, B
4 (D)	11, 13, 14	C♯, D♯, E
3 (G)	11, 13, 14	F♯, G♯, A
2 (B)	12, 14	B, C♯
1 (e)	11, 12, 14	D♯, E, F♯

Why it sounds like that

C♯ natural minor is the Aeolian mode of E major, built as 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7. It adds D♯ and A to C♯ minor pentatonic. The pattern is W, H, W, W, H, W, W.

When to use it

C♯ natural minor fits C♯ minor and C♯ 5th chords. Use it in C♯ minor or E major keys. It suits jazz and fusion lines.

Which position to practise

Learn Box 1 first. It places the root on string 5, fret 4, and covers frets 0–2 for a compact lower-position pattern.

Common questions

What notes are in C♯ natural minor?

C♯ natural minor contains C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A, and B. The intervals are 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7. It is the Aeolian mode of E major. It is also spelled D♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.

Which chords does C♯ natural minor fit?

C♯ natural minor fits C♯ minor and C♯ 5th chords. It also works over E major and A major chords. Use it for minor-key progressions.

How is C♯ natural minor different from C♯ minor pentatonic?

C♯ natural minor adds D♯ and A to C♯ minor pentatonic. The pentatonic has five notes; natural minor has seven. The extra notes create a more complete minor sound.