C major blues scale on trumpet
C major blues has 6 notes: C D E♭ E G A. Degrees: 1 2 ♭3 3 5 6. Formula: W H H W+H W W+H.
What notes are in the C major blues scale?
C, D, E♭, E, G and A. It has 6 notes; its formula in whole and half steps is W H H W+H W W+H.
What does C major blues sound like, and when do you use it?
Major pentatonic + passing ♭3: optimistic blues, country and soul. Use it over major and 7 chords.
Chord progressions to improvise with C major blues
In Jam mode (the Jam button above) a band of grand piano, upright bass and drums (recorded instruments) plays these progressions as swing, bossa, groove or ballad, and the staff lights up the notes of each chord as it plays. It's a backing track made for this scale in C:
- Blues (I7–IV7–V7): 12 bars over C7, F7 and G7. The 12-bar blues: three 7 chords with the scale on top. The clash between the ♭3 and the chord's 3rd is the blues.
- I–IV (I7–IV7): C7 | F7. Two 7 chords: slide the ♭3 (E♭) up to the 3rd (E), the major-blues move.
C major blues on trumpet: written notes and fingerings
The trumpet is a B♭ instrument: written C major blues sounds B♭ major blues in concert pitch. Fingering for each note, from low to high (left hand | right hand):
- C: open (0)
- D: valves 1-3
- E♭: valves 2-3
- E: valves 1-2
- G: open (0)
- A: valves 1-2
- C: open (0)
Same notes as
Major blues in other keys
On other instruments
C major blues on piano · C major blues on guitar · C major blues on bass · C major blues on ukulele · C major blues on mandolin · C major blues on banjo · C major blues on violin · C major blues on viola · C major blues on cello · C major blues on alto sax · C major blues on tenor sax · C major blues on flute · All scales