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Guitar scale · exotic

F 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.

Notes FGbABbCbDbE
Formula 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7
Steps H W+H H H W W+H H
Mood Exotic, Dramatic, Intense
Heard in Middle Eastern-inspired Music

Interactive scale diagram

F Persian Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

F 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.

Position 1 · E shape frets 1–5
e|-----------------------------1-2-5-|
B|-------------------------2-5-------|
G|-------------------2-3-4-----------|
D|-------------2-3-4-----------------|
A|-------1-2-4-----------------------|
E|-1-2-5-----------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 3–7
e|-----------------------------5-6-7-|
B|-----------------------5-6-7-------|
G|-----------------3-4-6-------------|
D|-----------3-4-7-------------------|
A|-------4-7-------------------------|
E|-5-6-7-----------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 5–9
e|-----------------------------5-6-7-9-|
B|-------------------------6-7---------|
G|---------------------6-9-------------|
D|---------------7-8-9-----------------|
A|---------7-8-9-----------------------|
E|-5-6-7-9-----------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 8–12
e|-------------------------------------9-12-|
B|----------------------------10-11-12------|
G|--------------------9-10-11---------------|
D|-------------8-9-11-----------------------|
A|------8-9-12------------------------------|
E|-9-12-------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-14-|
B|----------------------------------11-12-14----------|
G|-------------------------10-11-14-------------------|
D|-------------------11-14----------------------------|
A|----------12-13-14----------------------------------|
E|-12-13-14-------------------------------------------|

How to play F Persian 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

DegreeNote
1 F
♭2 Gb
3 A
4 Bb
♭5 Cb
♭6 Db
7 E

Chords in F Persian

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F Persian; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I — — Tonic
♭II Gb Gbmaj7 Supertonic
III — — Mediant
iv Bbm Bbm(maj7) Subdominant
♭V — — Dominant
♭VI+ Dbaug — Submediant
VII — — Leading tone / subtonic

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

Practise F 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 F Persian Scale?
The F Persian Scale has 7 notes: F, Gb, A, Bb, Cb, Db, E.
What chords are in the F Persian Scale?
The chords of F Persian are Gb (♭II), Bbm (iv), Dbaug (♭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 F Persian 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.

Persian Scale in every key

More scales in F