C sharp minor scale

The C♯ minor scale is C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A and B, with four sharps. From C♯, the steps go whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole.

  1. C♯1
  2. whole
  3. D♯2
  4. half
  5. E3
  6. whole
  7. F♯4
  8. whole
  9. G♯5
  10. half
  11. A6
  12. whole
  13. B7
  14. whole
  15. C♯8
E1A1B2C♯3D♯4F♯2G♯3C♯3

C♯ minor on the staff, piano and guitar

On the staff

♯♯♯♯C♯D♯EF♯G♯ABC♯♯♯♯♯C♯D♯EF♯G♯ABC♯

On piano

Right hand 3 4, then the thumb passes under to E: 1 2 3 1 2 3.

E1A2B1C♯3D♯2F♯4G♯3C♯3

Left hand 3 2 1, then finger 4 crosses over to F♯: 4 3 2 1 3.

Fingers are numbered from the thumb, 1, to the little finger, 5. Coming down, play the same fingers in reverse.

On guitar

89101112EBGDAEC♯D♯EF♯G♯ABC♯D♯EF♯G♯ABC♯D♯E

Every note of C♯ minor between the 8th and 12th fret. The root, C♯, has a heavy ring.

How to play the C sharp minor scale on piano

  1. Find C♯, the first black key of a group of two.
  2. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to D♯, a black key.
  3. Go up a half step, to the very next key, to E.
  4. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to F♯, a black key.
  5. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to G♯, a black key.
  6. Go up a half step, to the very next key, to A.
  7. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to B.
  8. Go up a whole step, skipping one key, to C♯, an octave above where you started.

Practice the C♯ minor scale

Play the C♯ minor scale one note a beat, up and back down: C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ B A G♯ F♯ E D♯ C♯. Hands separately first. Start at 60 beats a minute and move up toward 100 once every note lands on the beat.

C♯
  1. C♯
  2. D♯
  3. E
  4. F♯
  5. G♯
  6. A
  7. B
  8. C♯
  9. B
  10. A
  11. G♯
  12. F♯
  13. E
  14. D♯
  15. C♯

The key of C♯ minor

Follow the minor pattern from C♯ and four notes need a sharp: C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯. Those four sharps are the key signature, the same as E major, its relative major.

Relative major
E major
Parallel major
C♯ major
Neighbors on the circle of fifths
F♯ minor and G♯ minor
♯♯♯♯CAmGEmDBmAVIF♯mivEIIIC♯miBC♭VIIG♯mA♭mvF♯G♭D♯mE♭mD♭C♯B♭mA♯mA♭FmE♭CmB♭GmFDmC♯ minor
C♯ minor on the circle of fifths, with the chords of its key marked.

The name of each note in the key

  1. 1C♯tonic
  2. 2D♯supertonic
  3. 3Emediant
  4. 4F♯subdominant
  5. 5G♯dominant
  6. 6Asubmediant
  7. 7Bsubtonic

Chords in C♯ minor

Build a chord on each note of the scale, using only the scale's notes, and you get the seven chords of the key. The numeral is the chord's place in the key: capitals for major, small letters for minor.

  1. iC♯m
  2. ii°D♯dim
  3. IIIE
  4. ivF♯m
  5. vG♯m
  6. VIA
  7. VIIB

C♯ harmonic and melodic minor

Harmonic minor

C♯ harmonic minor raises the 7th note a half step, B to B♯, so the scale leads back to C♯.

♯♯♯♯C♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯B♯C♯

Melodic minor

C♯ melodic minor raises the 6th and 7th notes going up, A to A♯ and B to B♯, and comes back down as the natural minor.

♯♯♯♯C♯D♯EF♯G♯♯A♯♯B♯C♯♮B♮AG♯F♯ED♯C♯

Modes on the same notes

Start the E major scale on another of its notes and you get a mode, with the same key signature: E ionian, F♯ dorian, G♯ phrygian, A lydian, B mixolydian, C♯ aeolian, D♯ locrian.

Practice notes for the C sharp minor scale

C♯ minor has four sharps, F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯: C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯ A B C♯. It is the relative minor of E major, so it uses the same black keys as E major, starting from C♯. Both hands start on finger 3.

Where it goes wrong. B♯. Harmonic minor raises the 7th note, B, to B♯, the white key most people call C. Melodic minor going up raises A and B to A♯ and B♯. Because B♯ looks like a C, it is easy to read it as the keynote arriving one note early.

How to practice it. Right hand: 3 4 for C♯ D♯, thumb under to E, 2 3 for F♯ G♯, thumb under to A, 2 3 for B C♯. Left hand: 3 2 1 for C♯ D♯ E, then 4 crosses over to F♯, and 3 2 1 3 to the top. The thumbs only ever play white keys, E and A in the right hand, E and B in the left.

What to listen for. B♯ to C♯ in harmonic and melodic minor, the half step that leads home. In natural minor, B to C♯ is a whole step, and the scale ends more softly.

What to learn next. E major, the relative major with the same four sharps, and G♯ minor, one sharp more. C♯ major shares this scale’s keynote, with three more sharps.

Questions

What are the notes of the C♯ minor scale?

C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A and B, then C♯ again an octave up.

What chords are in the key of C♯ minor?

C♯m, D♯dim, E, F♯m, G♯m, A and B: i, ii°, III, iv, v, VI and VII.

Why does C♯ minor have four sharps?

Follow the minor pattern from C♯ and four notes need a sharp: C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯. Those four sharps are the key signature, the same as E major, its relative major.

What is the relative major of C♯ minor?

E major. It uses the same notes and the same key signature, starting on E.

What is the C♯ harmonic minor scale?

C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A and B♯. C♯ harmonic minor raises the 7th note a half step, B to B♯, so the scale leads back to C♯.