Guitar scale · exotic
C# Enigmatic Scale
1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7: an unusual scale: a half step, an augmented 2nd, three whole steps, then two half steps. Also called Scala enigmatica.
Tap any note to hear it.
C# Enigmatic Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------------------9-10-13-| B|--------------------------------10-12-13---------| G|--------------------------10-12------------------| D|---------------9-10-11-12------------------------| A|---------10-12-----------------------------------| E|-9-10-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-| B|-------------------------------12-13-14-15-------| G|-------------------------12-14-------------------| D|----------------11-12-15-------------------------| A|-------12-14-15----------------------------------| E|-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-17-| B|-------------------------------------14-15----------| G|----------------------------14-16-17----------------| D|----------------------15-17-------------------------| A|----------14-15-16-17-------------------------------| E|-13-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-20-| B|-------------------------------------18-20----------| G|-------------------------16-17-18-19----------------| D|-------------------17-19----------------------------| A|----------16-17-20----------------------------------| E|-17-19-20-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-20-21-22-| B|-------------------------------------20-22-------------| G|----------------------------18-19-22-------------------| D|-------------------19-21-22----------------------------| A|-------------20-22-------------------------------------| E|-19-20-21-22-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Enigmatic on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C# on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, ♯5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 9–13. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C# |
| ♭2 | D |
| 3 | E# |
| ♯4 | G |
| ♯5 | A |
| ♯6 | B |
| 7 | B# |
Chords in C# Enigmatic
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Enigmatic; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | C#aug | C#maj7#5 | Tonic |
| ♭II | — | — | Supertonic |
| III | E# | — | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♯VI | — | — | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# Enigmatic anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
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Questions
- What notes are in the C# Enigmatic Scale?
- The C# Enigmatic Scale has 7 notes: C#, D, E#, G, A, B, B#.
- What chords are in the C# Enigmatic Scale?
- The chords of C# Enigmatic are C#aug (I+), E# (III).
- What is the formula of the enigmatic scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7, which is the step pattern H W+H W W W H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C# Enigmatic on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.