C Major Scale on Guitar: Notes and Chords

Before we cover the C major scale; a scale is a bunch of notes.

You play these in any order.

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• C major scale
• Useful shapes for C major scale
• Open position
• Over two octaves
• Chords in C major scale
• Some theory
• Common chords in C
• Common progressions
• Where to go from here

C major scale

The C major scale (or simply C scale) is: C - D - E - F - G - A - B

Seven notes. No sharps, no flats. It's the white keys on a piano. Super easy to play. Super easy to sing; that's why every it's the best scale to learn if you're new.

C. D. E. F. G. A. B.

When you reach the eighth note, you're back to C- but an octave higher (higher in pitch). Then the pattern repeats.

C. D. E. F. G. A. B.

Say them out loud as you play them.

This is the pattern I want you to memorize on guitar. I like the 5th fret shape because it's directly usable for solos.

Here's how it looks like on a fretboard. Try playing with the backing track.

Useful shapes for C major scale

Knowing a scale is only helpful if you know how to use it.

Open position

I use this pattern to embellish chords. When you're playing open strings, it has a bright ringing feel. Great if you're into song-writing stuff and want to vary your chords a little.

Over two octaves

This is a movable shape; you can slide this shape two frets up to play in D major or four frets up to play in E major, and so on. Super useful.

Chords in C major scale

Some theory

A chord is when you play two or more notes together.

Remember the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 number system?

If you play 1 and 5 notes together, that's a chord. If you play 1 3 5 together, still a chord. 1 2 5 7? 1 4 5? 1 4 6? Still a chord. Trust me, all of these have names (some are inversions; some have fancy names).

If you take every other note in the C major scale and stack them on top of each other, you get some common chords. (Why stack them? You can pick any notes, but stacked thirds sound good out of the box; which is what picking every other note gets us)

Using notes 'from the scale' to play chords (over which you'll play the very scale) is called "harmonizing the scale." Let's say I want to play the C major scale and want chords to play under the scale. What chords can I play? The ones I can make from the C major scale. Easy enough.

Common chords in C

If you take 1, 3 and 5, that's C, E and G notes; this is what's called a C major chord. Why a major and not something else? How do I know? Frankly, you have to memorize that C major has C E G. There's more theory involved, but suck it up for now.

C - E - G = C Major (1st, 3rd, 5th notes)

Likewise,

C - E - G = C Major

D - F - A = D Minor

E - G - B = E Minor

F - A - C = F Major

G - B - D = G Major

A - C - E = A Minor

B - D - F = B Diminished

You don't really see or use the diminished chord, unless you're into jazz. Notice how it sounds resolved when we're back to C.

Here's how to play them.

Common progressions

I, IV, V and vi (Cmajor, Fmajor, Gmajor, Aminor) are very common in pop songs.

Try these changes. Notice how the chords want to resolve to C. Almost as if the changes want you to get back home. How does it feels when it resolves?

• Pop Loop (I - V - vi - IV): C major → G major → A minor → F major. Super common.

• The 50s Doo-Wop (I - vi - IV - V): C major → A minor → F major → G major. Sounds like an early Beatles track.

• Moody Ballad (vi - IV - I - V): A minor → F major → C major → G major

This is super common.

• Royal Road (IV - V - iii - vi): F major → G major → E minor → A minor Catch, loops great, Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" and lots of anime songs.

Where to go from here

You know the C major scale.

At least, you think you do. You've seen it here. You've seen the shape. You can play it up and down the fretboard without thinking; at least in an octave now.

I could play the C major scale. I could play it in multiple positions. I could play it pretty fast. It took me years to go from knowing the pattern to using it; and big part of what helped is- forgetting about the pattern and humming melodies and trying to play them, with a track.

If you've practiced scales, your fingers will move automatically; but you shouldn't let your fingers play the music; you should be mindful of what you want to play and hear. Not what your fingers will play because it's easy for them.

Next up: G Major Scale

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