C major scale on bass

The notes of the C major scale

C D E F G A B

Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Steps from note to note: 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 semitones (whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half).

C major has no sharps or flats. Its relative minor, with the same notes, is A minor.

In Hz, from C2: C2 65.4 · D2 73.4 · E2 82.4 · F2 87.3 · G2 98.0 · A2 110.0 · B2 123.5.

The C major scale on bass

One position, frets 7–11, E string first: E: 7 8 10 (B C D) · A: 7 8 10 (E F G) · D: 7 9 10 (A B C) · G: 7 9 10 (D E F). 0 = open string.

The root C sits at fret 8 on the E string and at fret 3 on the A string. Slide the same shape there for any other root. On bass the shape sits under one hand, one finger per fret, and the octave is two strings up and two frets on.

From the 3rd fret

On bass the handiest C major starts on the A string's 3rd fret: A 3 5, D 2 3 5, G 2 4 5. That covers an octave in one hand position with the open strings nearby. Play it with a metronome and say the note names; it is the quickest way to learn the neck.

More scales

Major scale on bass C major scale on guitar C major scale on piano C major scale on ukulele C major scale on trumpet C major pentatonic scale C major: scale and chords

How this page works

Hear it plays the scale up and down at 100 BPM on one of four Brumm sounds. Take it gives the same notes as a MIDI file and a WAV. − and + move the root. Every note here is computed from the formula.

Sources

Scales and modes: Open Music Theory, musictheory.net. Piano fingerings: the standard scale-book fingerings (ABRSM scale books; Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist, part 3). Trumpet valves: the standard B♭ trumpet fingering chart (Yamaha, Bach). Hz: A4 = 440 Hz, ISO 16.

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