Guitar scale · exotic
C# Persian Scale
1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7: double harmonic major with a lowered 5th. It contains the augmented 2nds of Double Harmonic Major.
Tap any note to hear it.
C# Persian 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|-----------------------------------10-13---------| G|--------------------------10-11-12---------------| D|-----------------10-11-12------------------------| A|---------9-10-12---------------------------------| E|-9-10-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-15-| B|----------------------------------13-14-15----------| G|-------------------------11-12-14-------------------| D|----------------11-12-15----------------------------| A|----------12-15-------------------------------------| E|-13-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-15-17-| B|-------------------------------------14-15-------------| G|-------------------------------14-17-------------------| D|----------------------15-16-17-------------------------| A|-------------15-16-17----------------------------------| E|-13-14-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-20-| B|----------------------------------18-19-20-------| G|-------------------------17-18-19----------------| D|----------------16-17-19-------------------------| A|-------16-17-20----------------------------------| E|-17-20-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------20-21-22-| B|----------------------------------19-20-22----------| G|-------------------------18-19-22-------------------| D|-------------------19-22----------------------------| A|----------20-21-22----------------------------------| E|-20-21-22-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Persian 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# Persian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Persian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II | D | Dmaj7 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | F#m | F#m(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Aaug | — | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# Persian 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.
Free
- 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
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the C# Persian Scale?
- The C# Persian Scale has 7 notes: C#, D, E#, F#, G, A, B#.
- What chords are in the C# Persian Scale?
- The chords of C# Persian are D (♭II), F#m (iv), Aaug (♭VI+).
- What is the formula of the persian scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7, which is the step pattern H W+H H H W W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C# Persian 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.