Also written Egyptian, Shang or Standard Slendro
C♯ neutral pentatonic contains C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯, and B. Box 2 places the root on string 6, fret 9 for a higher position.
C♯ neutral pentatonic comes from C♯ minor pentatonic by raising the ♭3 to a major 2nd, producing intervals 1, 2, 4, 5, ♭7. Compare it with C♯ minor pentatonic to hear the difference. The scale has no tritone or leading tone. Its step pattern is W, 1½, W, 1½, W.
C♯ neutral pentatonic fits C♯ 5th and C♯ suspended 2nd chords, as well as F♯ 5th and A♭ minor. Use it for open, drone-based rock or folk lines in C♯. The scale also works over B major when you want a suspended sound.
Practise Box 2 first. It keeps the root on string 6, fret 9 and covers frets 4–7, making it easy to shift to Box 3.
C♯ neutral pentatonic in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 4, 10 notes across 6 strings, from F♯ on the low E string at fret 2 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) | 2, 4 | F♯, G♯ |
| 5 (A) | 2, 4 | B, C♯ |
| 4 (D) | 4 | F♯ |
| 3 (G) | 4 | B |
| 2 (B) | 2, 4 | C♯, D♯ |
| 1 (e) | 2, 4 | F♯, G♯ |
C♯ neutral pentatonic in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 12 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.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 7 | G♯, B |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6 | C♯, D♯ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 6 | F♯, G♯ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 6 | B, C♯ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7 | D♯, F♯ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 7 | G♯, B |
C♯ neutral pentatonic in box 3 runs from fret 7 to fret 9, 9 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.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 7, 9 | B, C♯ |
| 5 (A) | 9 | F♯ |
| 4 (D) | 9 | B |
| 3 (G) | 8 | D♯ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 9 | F♯, G♯ |
| 1 (e) | 7, 9 | B, C♯ |
C♯ neutral pentatonic in box 4 runs from fret 9 to fret 12, 11 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) | 9, 11 | F♯, G♯ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 11 | B, C♯ |
| 3 (G) | 11 | F♯ |
| 2 (B) | 9, 12 | G♯, B |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11 | C♯, D♯ |
C♯ neutral pentatonic in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 12 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.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 14 | D♯, F♯ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 14 | G♯, B |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13 | C♯, D♯ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 13 | F♯, G♯ |
| 2 (B) | 12, 14 | B, C♯ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 14 | D♯, F♯ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
C♯ neutral pentatonic contains C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯, and B. The intervals are 1, 2, 4, 5, and ♭7. It has no tritone or leading tone. It is also spelled D♭ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
C♯ neutral pentatonic fits C♯ 5th and C♯ suspended 2nd chords. It also works over F♯ 5th and A♭ minor. The scale avoids the third, so it suits open fifth chords.
C♯ neutral pentatonic raises the minor third of C♯ minor pentatonic to a major second. This removes the minor quality and creates a suspended sound. The note D♯ replaces E.
The step pattern is whole, one and a half, whole, one and a half, whole. This gives the scale its neutral, open character. It is also known as Egyptian or Shang.