Guitar scale · exotic
B 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.
B 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|----------------------------------7-8-11-| B|-----------------------------9-10--------| G|----------------------8-9-10-------------| D|---------------7-9-10--------------------| A|--------7-8-11---------------------------| E|-7-8-11----------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------11-12-13-| B|--------------------------------10-12-13----------| G|------------------------9-10-13-------------------| D|----------------9-10-13---------------------------| A|----------11-12-----------------------------------| E|-11-12-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-13-| B|-------------------------------------12-13----------| G|-------------------------------13-14----------------| D|----------------------13-14-15----------------------| A|----------11-12-14-15-------------------------------| E|-11-12-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-| B|----------------------------------16-17-18-------| G|-------------------------14-16-17----------------| D|----------------14-15-18-------------------------| A|-------14-15-18----------------------------------| E|-16-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-19-20-| B|-------------------------------------17-18-------------| G|----------------------------16-17-20-------------------| D|----------------------18-19----------------------------| A|-------------18-19-20----------------------------------| E|-16-17-19-20-------------------------------------------|
How to play B Oriental 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 Oriental
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in B Oriental; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Caug | Cmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| IV | E | Emaj7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | F | Fmaj7 | Dominant |
| vi | G#m | — | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Am | Am(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise B 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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Questions
- What notes are in the B Oriental Scale?
- The B Oriental Scale has 7 notes: B, C, D#, E, F, G#, A.
- What chords are in the B Oriental Scale?
- The chords of B Oriental are Caug (♭II+), E (IV), F (♭V), G#m (vi), Am (♭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 B Oriental 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.