C Sharp Minor Scale

This guitar scale reference contains the notes, formula, structure, positions, chords, and modes for the C# Minor scale. For an in-depth lesson on the major scale, see Minor Scale Positions & Theory.

Notes of C# Minor Scale

The notes of the C sharp minor scale are:

C# – D# – E – F# – G# – A – B

The scale contains four sharps, C#, D#, F#, G#. The rest of the notes are naturals.

Scale Formula

The scale formula for C Sharp Minor is the following:

Root – Major 2nd – Minor 3rd – Perfect 4th – Perfect 5th – Minor 6th – Minor 7th

IntervalsRootMajor 2ndMinor 3rdPerfect 4thPerfect 5thMinor 6thMinor 7th
NotesC#D#EF#G#AB

Scale Structure

C Sharp Minor is a minor scale and follows the minor scale structure of whole and half step intervals:

W H W W H W W

C minor scale whole step half step fretboard

Scale Positions

The diagrams below outline the 5 CAGED positions for the C Sharp Minor scale.

Position 1

C# minor scale position 1 diagram

Position 2

C# minor scale position 2 diagram

Position 3

C# minor scale position 3 diagram

Position 4

C# minor scale position 4 diagram

Position 5

C# minor scale position 5 diagram

Chords in the Key of C Sharp Minor

When harmonizing the C Sharp Minor scale, you get the following chords:

Degreeiii°IIIivivVIVII
ChordC#mD#dimEF#mG#mAB
Chord NotesC# – E – G#D# – F# – AE – G# – BF# – A – C#G# – B – D#A – C# – EB – D# – F#

Relative and Parallel Scales

Relative Major of C Sharp Minor: E Major | E – F#m – G#m – A – B – C#m – D#m♭5

Parallel Major of C Sharp Minor: C# Major | C# – D#m – E#m – F# – G# – A#m – B#m♭5

Modes

The following are the modes of C Sharp Minor:

  • C# Aeolian (Minor)
  • D# Locrian (Minor)
  • E Ionian (Major)
  • F# Dorian (Minor)
  • G# Phrygian (Minor)
  • A Lydian (Major)
  • B Mixolydian (Major)