Guitar scale · exotic
F# 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.
F# 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|-----------------------------2-3-6-| B|-------------------------4-5-------| G|-------------------3-4-5-----------| D|-------------2-4-5-----------------| A|-------2-3-6-----------------------| E|-2-3-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------6-7-8-| B|-----------------------5-7-8-------| G|-----------------4-5-8-------------| D|-----------4-5-8-------------------| A|-------6-7-------------------------| E|-6-7-8-----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------6-7-8-| B|---------------------------7-8-------| G|-----------------------8-9-----------| D|----------------8-9-10---------------| A|-------6-7-9-10----------------------| E|-6-7-8-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------11-12-| B|-------------------------------11-12-13-------| G|-----------------------9-11-12----------------| D|---------------9-10-13------------------------| A|-------9-10-13--------------------------------| E|-11-12----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------12-13-------------| G|----------------------------11-12-15-------------------| D|----------------------13-14----------------------------| A|-------------13-14-15----------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
How to play F# Oriental on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 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 2–6. 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 | G |
| 3 | A# |
| 4 | B |
| ♭5 | C |
| 6 | D# |
| ♭7 | E |
Chords in F# Oriental
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F# Oriental; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Gaug | Gmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| IV | B | Bmaj7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | C | Cmaj7 | Dominant |
| vi | D#m | — | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Em | Em(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F# 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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- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the F# Oriental Scale?
- The F# Oriental Scale has 7 notes: F#, G, A#, B, C, D#, E.
- What chords are in the F# Oriental Scale?
- The chords of F# Oriental are Gaug (♭II+), B (IV), C (♭V), D#m (vi), Em (♭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 F# Oriental on the guitar?
- The root F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–6, and four more positions connect it up the neck.