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|----------------------------------------9-10-13-| B|----------------------------------11-12---------| G|-------------------------10-11-12---------------| D|-----------------9-11-12------------------------| A|---------9-10-13--------------------------------| E|-9-10-13----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-15-| B|----------------------------------12-14-15----------| G|-------------------------11-12-15-------------------| D|----------------11-12-15----------------------------| A|----------13-14-------------------------------------| E|-13-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------14-15----------| G|-------------------------------15-16----------------| D|----------------------15-16-17----------------------| A|----------13-14-16-17-------------------------------| E|-13-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-| B|----------------------------------18-19-20-------| G|-------------------------16-18-19----------------| D|----------------16-17-20-------------------------| A|-------16-17-20----------------------------------| E|-18-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-21-22-| B|-------------------------------------19-20-------------| G|----------------------------18-19-22-------------------| D|----------------------20-21----------------------------| A|-------------20-21-22----------------------------------| E|-18-19-21-22-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Oriental on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 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 9–13. 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 | D |
| 3 | E# |
| 4 | F# |
| ♭5 | G |
| 6 | A# |
| ♭7 | B |
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+ | Daug | Dmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| IV | F# | F#maj7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | G | Gmaj7 | Dominant |
| vi | A#m | — | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Bm | Bm(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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- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
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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#, D, E#, F#, G, A#, B.
- What chords are in the C# Oriental Scale?
- The chords of C# Oriental are Daug (♭II+), F# (IV), G (♭V), A#m (vi), Bm (♭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 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.