Guitar scale · Byzantine scale
Bb 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.
Bb 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|--------------------------------6-7-10-| B|---------------------------7-10--------| G|--------------------7-8-10-------------| D|--------------7-8-9--------------------| A|--------6-8-9--------------------------| E|-6-7-10--------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------10-11-| B|-----------------------------10-11-12-------| G|---------------------8-10-11----------------| D|--------------8-9-12------------------------| A|-------8-9-12-------------------------------| E|-10-11--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-12-------------| G|----------------------------10-11-14-------------------| D|----------------------12-13----------------------------| A|-------------12-13-14----------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-17-| B|-------------------------------------15-16----------| G|----------------------------14-15-16----------------| D|-------------------13-15-16-------------------------| A|----------13-14-17----------------------------------| E|-13-14-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-19-| B|----------------------------------16-18-19----------| G|-------------------------15-16-19-------------------| D|----------------15-16-19----------------------------| A|----------17-18-------------------------------------| E|-17-18-19-------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Double Harmonic Major on guitar
Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb 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 6–10. 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 | Bb |
| ♭2 | Cb |
| 3 | D |
| 4 | Eb |
| 5 | F |
| ♭6 | Gb |
| 7 | A |
Chords in Bb 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 Bb Double Harmonic Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Tonic |
| ♭II | Cb | Cbmaj7 | Supertonic |
| iii | Dm | — | Mediant |
| iv | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise Bb Double Harmonic Major anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Double Harmonic Major Scale?
- The Bb Double Harmonic Major Scale has 7 notes: Bb, Cb, D, Eb, F, Gb, A.
- What chords are in the Bb Double Harmonic Major Scale?
- The chords of Bb Double Harmonic Major are Bb (I), Cb (♭II), Dm (iii), Ebm (iv), Gbaug (♭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 Bb Double Harmonic Major on the guitar?
- The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.