Chord Colors

C Enigmatic Descending scale

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About the C Enigmatic Descending scale

C Enigmatic Descending is used for experimental and cinematic music. Think of it as the descending form of the enigmatic scale, just as strange. It is C Enigmatic Ascending with the fourth lowered.

Its notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The formula is H 1½ H 1½ W H H.

Learn more about the C Enigmatic Descending scale

An unfretted guitar already sounds E and B from the key. A guitarist finds the lowest C at the 3rd fret of the A string.

Positions

Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.

CAGED

Five shapes, each anchored to a chord form you already know, the pop and rock default that ties your scales to your chords. The outlined notes are that chord, so you can see the C, A, G, E, and D shapes inside the scale.

C shapeopen
A shapefr 2
G shapefr 5
E shapefr 7
D shapefr 9
3NPS

3NPS stands for 3 notes per string. It lays the scale out in seven even shapes for rock and metal lead, and favors speed because the picking pattern stays consistent across every string.

Shape 2fr 1
Shape 3fr 3
Shape 4fr 4
Shape 5fr 6
Shape 6fr 8
Shape 7fr 9
7-position system

7 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method.

Position 1open
Position 2fr 1
Position 3fr 4
Position 4fr 6
Position 5fr 7
Position 6fr 8
Position 7fr 9

Notes and intervals

1CCRoot
2DbD♭Minor 2nd
3EEMajor 3rd
4FFPerfect 4th
5G#G♯Augmented 5th
6A#A♯Augmented 6th
7BBMajor 7th
StepsH 1½ H 1½ W H H
Semitones1-3-1-3-2-1-1
Degrees1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Shapes

Chromatic

CC♯D♭DD♯E♭EFF♯G♭GG♯A♭AA♯B♭B

Circle of Fifths

CGDAEBF♯G♭C♯D♭G♯A♭D♯E♭A♯B♭F

Related scales

Enigmatic Descending in other keys

Embed this scale

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C Enigmatic Descending scale on guitar shown as colored note dots
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