Guitar scale · exotic
E 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.
E 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|-----------------------------0-1-4-| B|-------------------------2-3-------| G|-------------------1-2-3-----------| D|-------------0-2-3-----------------| A|-------0-1-4-----------------------| E|-0-1-4-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-5-6-| B|-----------------------3-5-6-------| G|-----------------2-3-6-------------| D|-----------2-3-6-------------------| A|-------4-5-------------------------| E|-4-5-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-5-6-| B|-------------------------5-6-------| G|---------------------6-7-----------| D|---------------6-7-8---------------| A|-------4-5-7-8---------------------| E|-4-5-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------9-10-| B|---------------------------9-10-11------| G|--------------------7-9-10--------------| D|-------------7-8-11---------------------| A|------7-8-11----------------------------| E|-9-10-----------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------9-10-12-13-| B|-----------------------------------10-11------------| G|---------------------------9-10-13------------------| D|---------------------11-12--------------------------| A|------------11-12-13--------------------------------| E|-9-10-12-13-----------------------------------------|
How to play E Oriental on guitar
Find the root first: E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every E 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 0–4. 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 | E |
| ♭2 | F |
| 3 | G# |
| 4 | A |
| ♭5 | Bb |
| 6 | C# |
| ♭7 | D |
Chords in E Oriental
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in E Oriental; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Faug | Fmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| IV | A | Amaj7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Dominant |
| vi | C#m | — | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Dm | Dm(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise E 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 E Oriental Scale?
- The E Oriental Scale has 7 notes: E, F, G#, A, Bb, C#, D.
- What chords are in the E Oriental Scale?
- The chords of E Oriental are Faug (♭II+), A (IV), Bb (♭V), C#m (vi), Dm (♭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 E Oriental on the guitar?
- The root E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 0–4, and four more positions connect it up the neck.