Guitar scale · exotic
F Enigmatic Scale
1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7: an unusual scale: a half step, an augmented 2nd, three whole steps, then two half steps. Also called Scala enigmatica.
Tap any note to hear it.
F Enigmatic 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|-----------------------------1-2-5-| B|-----------------------2-4-5-------| G|-------------------2-4-------------| D|-----------1-2-3-4-----------------| A|-------2-4-------------------------| E|-1-2-5-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-7-| B|---------------------4-5-6-7-----| G|-----------------4-6-------------| D|-----------3-4-7-----------------| A|-----4-6-7-----------------------| E|-5-7-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-7-9-| B|-------------------------6-7-------| G|-------------------6-8-9-----------| D|---------------7-9-----------------| A|-------6-7-8-9---------------------| E|-5-7-9-----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------9-11-12-| B|-------------------------------10-12---------| G|---------------------8-9-10-11---------------| D|----------------9-11-------------------------| A|---------8-9-12------------------------------| E|-9-11-12-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-14-------------| G|----------------------------10-11-14-------------------| D|-------------------11-13-14----------------------------| A|-------------12-14-------------------------------------| E|-11-12-13-14-------------------------------------------|
How to play F Enigmatic on guitar
Find the root first: F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F 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 1–5. 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 | F |
| ♭2 | Gb |
| 3 | A |
| ♯4 | B |
| ♯5 | C# |
| ♯6 | D# |
| 7 | E |
Chords in F Enigmatic
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F Enigmatic; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | Faug | Fmaj7#5 | Tonic |
| ♭II | — | — | Supertonic |
| III | A | — | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♯VI | — | — | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F Enigmatic 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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One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the F Enigmatic Scale?
- The F Enigmatic Scale has 7 notes: F, Gb, A, B, C#, D#, E.
- What chords are in the F Enigmatic Scale?
- The chords of F Enigmatic are Faug (I+), A (III).
- What is the formula of the enigmatic scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7, which is the step pattern H W+H W W W H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play F Enigmatic on the guitar?
- The root F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 1–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.