How to play the C Ionian guitar scale

The C Ionian scale is a ionian scale which means it has the following definition:

R 2 3 4 5 6 7

The Ionian mode is the first mode of the Major scale.

Which notes are in the C Ionian guitar scale?

The notes in the C Ionian scale are:

C D E F G A B C

There are 7 notes in the scale with no flats and no sharps.

What are the intervals in the C Ionian Guitar Scale?

The scale definition for the C Ionian guitar scale is R 2 3 4 5 6 7 which means that the interval formula for the scale in semitones is:

2 2 1 2 2 2 1

You can also write this as note intervals:

Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone

The C Ionian Guitar Scale on the fretboard

Let's take a look at C Ionian on the guitar fretboard. Here is the scale across the entire fretboard:

What are the chords in the key of C Ionian?

There are 7 notes in the C Ionian scale so you can build 7 chords using each note in the scale as a chord root.

The triads (three note chords) in the key of C Ionian are:

Degree

I

ii

iii

IV

V

vi

vii

Chord

C maj

D min

E min

F maj

G maj

A min

B dim

Spelling

C E G

D F A

E G B

F A C

G B D

A C E

B D F

Diagram

C Ionian Guitar Scale Recap

Here is a quick recap of all the information about the C Ionian covered in this page:

• The C Ionian Scale is a ionian scale.

• The definition of the C Ionian scale is: R 2 3 4 5 6 7

• The notes in the C Ionian guitar scale are: C D E F G A B C

• The interval formula for the C Ionian scale is: 2 2 1 2 2 2 1

• The note intervals in the C Ionian scale are: Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone