About the C Synthetic scale
C Synthetic is used for experimental and cinematic writing. Think of it as a made-up six-note scale with a raised fourth and a flat sixth. It is C Whole Tone with the seventh raised.
Its notes are C, D, E, F♯, A♭, and B. The formula is W W W W 1½ H. It is the sixth mode of D Prometheus.
This scale shares E, D, and B with the guitar's open strings. Down at the 3rd fret of the A string lies the lowest C a guitar can play.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
6-position system
6 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.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | CC | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | DD | Major 2nd |
| 3 | EE | Major 3rd |
| 4 | F#F♯ | Augmented 4th |
| 5 | AbA♭ | Minor 6th |
| 6 | BB | Major 7th |
| Steps | W W W W 1½ H |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-2-2-2-3-1 |
| Degrees | 1 2 3 ♯4 ♭6 7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Synthetic in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.