Guitar scale · Byzantine scale
G Double Harmonic Major Scale
The major scale with a lowered 2nd and a lowered 6th. It has two augmented 2nds, between ♭2 and 3 and between ♭6 and 7. Also called Byzantine.
Tap any note to hear it.
G Double Harmonic Major 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|-----------------------------3-4-7-| B|-------------------------4-7-------| G|-------------------4-5-7-----------| D|-------------4-5-6-----------------| A|-------3-5-6-----------------------| E|-3-4-7-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------7-8-| B|-----------------------7-8-9-----| G|-----------------5-7-8-----------| D|-----------5-6-9-----------------| A|-----5-6-9-----------------------| E|-7-8-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------7-8-10-11-| B|-------------------------------8-9-----------| G|------------------------7-8-11---------------| D|-------------------9-10----------------------| A|-----------9-10-11---------------------------| E|-7-8-10-11-----------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-13----------| G|----------------------------11-12-13----------------| D|-------------------10-12-13-------------------------| A|----------10-11-14----------------------------------| E|-10-11-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-16-| B|----------------------------------13-15-16----------| G|-------------------------12-13-16-------------------| D|----------------12-13-16----------------------------| A|----------14-15-------------------------------------| E|-14-15-16-------------------------------------------|
How to play G Double Harmonic Major on guitar
Find the root first: G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every G 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 3–7. 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 | G |
| ♭2 | Ab |
| 3 | B |
| 4 | C |
| 5 | D |
| ♭6 | Eb |
| 7 | F# |
Chords in G Double Harmonic Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in G Double Harmonic Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | G | Gmaj7 | Tonic |
| ♭II | Ab | Abmaj7 | Supertonic |
| iii | Bm | — | Mediant |
| iv | Cm | Cm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Ebaug | Ebmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the G Double Harmonic Major Scale?
- The G Double Harmonic Major Scale has 7 notes: G, Ab, B, C, D, Eb, F#.
- What chords are in the G Double Harmonic Major Scale?
- The chords of G Double Harmonic Major are G (I), Ab (♭II), Bm (iii), Cm (iv), Ebaug (♭VI+).
- What is the formula of the double harmonic major scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7, which is the step pattern H W+H H W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play G Double Harmonic Major on the guitar?
- The root G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 3–7, and four more positions connect it up the neck.