Guitar scale · exotic
A Oriental Scale
Mode 5 of Double Harmonic Major: a dominant-sounding scale with ♭2, ♭5, a major 6th and ♭7.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Oriental 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|-----------------------------5-6-9-| B|-------------------------7-8-------| G|-------------------6-7-8-----------| D|-------------5-7-8-----------------| A|-------5-6-9-----------------------| E|-5-6-9-----------------------------|
e|------------------------------------9-10-11-| B|----------------------------8-10-11---------| G|---------------------7-8-11-----------------| D|--------------7-8-11------------------------| A|---------9-10-------------------------------| E|-9-10-11------------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------9-10-11-| B|-----------------------------------10-11---------| G|-----------------------------11-12---------------| D|--------------------11-12-13---------------------| A|---------9-10-12-13------------------------------| E|-9-10-11-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-| B|----------------------------------14-15-16-------| G|-------------------------12-14-15----------------| D|----------------12-13-16-------------------------| A|-------12-13-16----------------------------------| E|-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------15-16-------------| G|----------------------------14-15-18-------------------| D|----------------------16-17----------------------------| A|-------------16-17-18----------------------------------| E|-14-15-17-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play A Oriental on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A 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 5–9. 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 | A |
| ♭2 | Bb |
| 3 | C# |
| 4 | D |
| ♭5 | Eb |
| 6 | F# |
| ♭7 | G |
Chords in A Oriental
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in A Oriental; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Bbaug | Bbmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| IV | D | Dmaj7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | Eb | Ebmaj7 | Dominant |
| vi | F#m | — | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Gm | Gm(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Oriental 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 A Oriental Scale?
- The A Oriental Scale has 7 notes: A, Bb, C#, D, Eb, F#, G.
- What chords are in the A Oriental Scale?
- The chords of A Oriental are Bbaug (♭II+), D (IV), Eb (♭V), F#m (vi), Gm (♭vii).
- What is the formula of the oriental scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W+H H H W+H H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Oriental on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.