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Blues Scales on Piano: Major and Minor

Compare C and G major and minor blues scales with note lists and the added blue-note position.

Current scale

C minor blues

Hand
Right hand
Range
C4-C5 · 1 octave
Demo / print tempo
60 BPM

C – E♭ – F – G♭ – G – B♭ – C

Direction: Ascending · C4 → C5 · Semitone movement: 3 – 2 – 1 – 1 – 3 – 2

C minor blues: C - Eb - F - Gb - G - Bb - C.

Berklee direct note list plus independent textbook formula; #4/b5 and #2/b3 are enharmonic alternatives on equal-tempered piano

Ascending

Notes only
NotesC4E♭4F4G♭4G4B♭4C5

Notes only - fingering is not available for this form, hand, direction and one-octave range.

C4♭Eb4F4♭Gb4G4♭Bb4C5

Keyboard

C4 to C5
C4C#4Db4D4E♭4E4F4G♭4G4G#4Ab4A4B♭4B4C5

Sources and checking scope

Current collection: C and G, major and minor blues. Unknown fingering remains notes-only and is never copied from the previous selection.

Practice task

Check the notes

Select every note used in C minor blues, ascending. This question checks the note set; octave and order do not matter.

Chosen: None

Attempt open · unassisted

Answer reference: C minor blues, ascending - note set

C - E♭ - F - G♭ - G - B♭. Octave and order are not scored in this question.

Answer reference: C minor blues, ascending - right hand

C4 - E♭4 - F4 - G♭4 - G4 - B♭4 - C5

Single-hand guide

Practice with a pulse

60 BPM

This guide does not listen to your piano. Completion is self-reported. The staff is a pitch reference; the pulse controls timing.

Practice tempo: 60 BPM · 1 octave · Right hand · C4-C5 · 4-beat count-in

PianoGrid

Blues Scales on Piano: Major and Minor: C minor blues

View: Right hand · Direction: ascending · Range: one octave

Current scale

C minor blues

Hand
Right hand
Range
C4-C5 · 1 octave
Demo / print tempo
60 BPM

C – E♭ – F – G♭ – G – B♭ – C

Direction: Ascending · C4 → C5 · Semitone movement: 3 – 2 – 1 – 1 – 3 – 2

Ascending

Notes only
NotesC4E♭4F4G♭4G4B♭4C5

Notes only - fingering is not available for this form, hand, direction and one-octave range.

C4♭Eb4F4♭Gb4G4♭Bb4C5

Keyboard

C4 to C5
C4C#4Db4D4E♭4E4F4G♭4G4G#4Ab4A4B♭4B4C5

Sources and checking scope

Current selected reference. Notes, staff, keyboard and any finger numbers come from this same view. Missing fingering remains notes-only.

Complete supported comparison

This table lists every named example supported on this page. The final repeated note is the octave endpoint.

On a narrow screen, scroll this table horizontally to read every column.

Blues Scales on Piano: Major and Minor supported examples
ExampleAscending notesInterval steps
C minor bluesC – E♭ – F – G♭ – G – B♭ – C3 – 2 – 1 – 1 – 3 – 2
G minor bluesG – B♭ – C – D♭ – D – F – G3 – 2 – 1 – 1 – 3 – 2
C major bluesC – D – E♭ – E – G – A – C2 – 1 – 1 – 3 – 2 – 3
G major bluesG – A – B♭ – B – D – E – G2 – 1 – 1 – 3 – 2 – 3

Choose major or minor blues

This reference covers two six-note blues-scale forms in C and G. Minor blues adds a note between the fourth and fifth degrees of minor pentatonic. In C, that gives C, E-flat, F, G-flat, G and B-flat. Major blues adds a chromatic note between the second and third degrees of major pentatonic. C major blues contains C, D, E-flat, E, G and A.

Read the blue-note label

The minor examples use the label flat fifth: G-flat in C, D-flat in G. You may also see the same piano keys named sharp fourth. The major examples use flat third for the extra note; some theory texts spell that passing tone as sharp second. Keep the displayed spelling when reading a particular example.

Use the scale as a reference

Minor blues vocabulary can occur over major blues harmony. A major or minor label therefore does not provide a rule that every note will fit every chord in the same way. These note collections are a starting reference; phrasing and the accompanying harmony still matter.

Hear the added note

Compare C minor pentatonic with C minor blues. Play F, G-flat, G slowly, then finish on C. Next compare D, E-flat, E in the C major blues example. Keep the two forms separately labeled so their different thirds do not get mixed together.

Continue with a source-backed reference that matches this task.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minor blues formula?

The minor blues formula used here is 1–b3–4–b5–5–b7. In C, the one-octave reference is C–Eb–F–Gb–G–Bb–C. The last C is the repeated tonic, not a seventh distinct pitch class.

What changes in the major blues scale?

The major blues formula used here is 1–2–b3–3–5–6. C major blues is C–D–Eb–E–G–A–C; the added Eb lies between D and E. It is not the C minor blues collection with its title changed.

Where is the extra note compared with pentatonic?

Compared with minor pentatonic, minor blues adds the flat fifth between degrees 4 and 5: Gb between F and G in C. Compared with major pentatonic, major blues adds a chromatic passing pitch between degrees 2 and 3: Eb between D and E in C. Keep the spelling convention shown for the selected example.

Does a scale name determine every chord it can accompany?

Minor blues vocabulary can occur over major blues harmony. A major or minor label therefore does not provide a rule that every note will fit every chord in the same way. These note collections are a starting reference; phrasing and the accompanying harmony still matter.

Sources and scope

Sources below are limited to the note, theory, fingering, or editorial scope recorded for this page. A source record is not the same as a teacher review.