Guitar scale · Byzantine scale
B Double Harmonic Major Scale
The major scale with a lowered 2nd and a lowered 6th. It has two augmented 2nds, between ♭2 and 3 and between ♭6 and 7. Also called Byzantine.
Tap any note to hear it.
B Double Harmonic Major 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|----------------------------------7-8-11-| B|-----------------------------8-11--------| G|----------------------8-9-11-------------| D|---------------8-9-10--------------------| A|--------7-9-10---------------------------| E|-7-8-11----------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------11-12-| B|-------------------------------11-12-13-------| G|-----------------------9-11-12----------------| D|---------------9-10-13------------------------| A|-------9-10-13--------------------------------| E|-11-12----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------12-13-------------| G|----------------------------11-12-15-------------------| D|----------------------13-14----------------------------| A|-------------13-14-15----------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-18-| B|-------------------------------------16-17----------| G|----------------------------15-16-17----------------| D|-------------------14-16-17-------------------------| A|----------14-15-18----------------------------------| E|-14-15-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-20-| B|----------------------------------17-19-20----------| G|-------------------------16-17-20-------------------| D|----------------16-17-20----------------------------| A|----------18-19-------------------------------------| E|-18-19-20-------------------------------------------|
How to play B Double Harmonic Major on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B 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 7–11. 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 | B |
| ♭2 | C |
| 3 | D# |
| 4 | E |
| 5 | F# |
| ♭6 | G |
| 7 | A# |
Chords in B Double Harmonic Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in B Double Harmonic Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | B | Bmaj7 | Tonic |
| ♭II | C | Cmaj7 | Supertonic |
| iii | D#m | — | Mediant |
| iv | Em | Em(maj7) | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Gaug | Gmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise B Double Harmonic Major anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the B Double Harmonic Major Scale?
- The B Double Harmonic Major Scale has 7 notes: B, C, D#, E, F#, G, A#.
- What chords are in the B Double Harmonic Major Scale?
- The chords of B Double Harmonic Major are B (I), C (♭II), D#m (iii), Em (iv), Gaug (♭VI+).
- What is the formula of the double harmonic major scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7, which is the step pattern H W+H H W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play B Double Harmonic Major on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.