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Piano scale

C Minor Pentatonic Scale

The C Minor Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: C – E♭ – F – G – B♭.

  1. C
    1
  2. E♭
    2
  3. F
    3
  4. G
    4
  5. B♭
    5

Notes of the C Minor Pentatonic Scale

DegreeNotesIntervalsFormula
1CRoot1
2E♭Minor 3rd♭3
3FPerfect 4th4
4GPerfect 5th5
5B♭Minor 7th♭7

Step pattern

W+H – W – W – W+H – W

From the root to the octave the scale moves in this pattern: W+H – W – W – W+H – W.

W = whole step (2 semitones), H = half step (1 semitone), W+H = 3 semitones

Sound and character

Five notes from the minor scale — simple, powerful, and perfect for improvisation. The foundation of blues, rock, and almost every guitar solo.

Sound: Raw & expressive

How to use it

Use it to improvise over minor chords and blues progressions. On piano, play it in the right hand over a simple left-hand root or fifth.

Chords, key signature and progressions: C Minor key

Songs that use it

  • Smoke on the Water · Deep Purple
    Rock
  • Pride and Joy · Stevie Ray Vaughan
    Blues
  • Purple Haze · Jimi Hendrix
    Rock

Play the C Minor Pentatonic Scale with different sounds in the interactive builder.

Open in the chord builder

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