Guitar scale · exotic
C 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.
C 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|-------------------------------------8-9-12-| B|-------------------------------10-11--------| G|-----------------------9-10-11--------------| D|---------------8-10-11----------------------| A|--------8-9-12------------------------------| E|-8-9-12-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-14-| B|----------------------------------11-13-14----------| G|-------------------------10-11-14-------------------| D|----------------10-11-14----------------------------| A|----------12-13-------------------------------------| E|-12-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------13-14----------| G|-------------------------------14-15----------------| D|----------------------14-15-16----------------------| A|----------12-13-15-16-------------------------------| E|-12-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-| B|----------------------------------17-18-19-------| G|-------------------------15-17-18----------------| D|----------------15-16-19-------------------------| A|-------15-16-19----------------------------------| E|-17-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-20-21-| B|-------------------------------------18-19-------------| G|----------------------------17-18-21-------------------| D|----------------------19-20----------------------------| A|-------------19-20-21----------------------------------| E|-17-18-20-21-------------------------------------------|
How to play C Oriental on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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 | C |
| ♭2 | Db |
| 3 | E |
| 4 | F |
| ♭5 | Gb |
| 6 | A |
| ♭7 | Bb |
Chords in C Oriental
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C Oriental; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Dbaug | Dbmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| IV | F | Fmaj7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | Gb | Gbmaj7 | Dominant |
| vi | Am | — | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Bbm | Bbm(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C 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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- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Oriental Scale?
- The C Oriental Scale has 7 notes: C, Db, E, F, Gb, A, Bb.
- What chords are in the C Oriental Scale?
- The chords of C Oriental are Dbaug (♭II+), F (IV), Gb (♭V), Am (vi), Bbm (♭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 C Oriental on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.