Guitar scale · exotic
C 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.
Tap any note to hear it.
C 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.
e|------------------------------------8-9-12-| B|-------------------------------9-12--------| G|-----------------------9-10-11-------------| D|---------------9-10-11---------------------| A|--------8-9-11-----------------------------| E|-8-9-12------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-14-| B|----------------------------------12-13-14----------| G|-------------------------10-11-13-------------------| D|----------------10-11-14----------------------------| A|----------11-14-------------------------------------| E|-12-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------13-14-------------| G|-------------------------------13-16-------------------| D|----------------------14-15-16-------------------------| A|-------------14-15-16----------------------------------| E|-12-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-19-| B|----------------------------------17-18-19-------| G|-------------------------16-17-18----------------| D|----------------15-16-18-------------------------| A|-------15-16-19----------------------------------| E|-16-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-20-21-| B|----------------------------------18-19-21----------| G|-------------------------17-18-21-------------------| D|-------------------18-21----------------------------| A|----------19-20-21----------------------------------| E|-19-20-21-------------------------------------------|
How to play C Persian on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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 | C |
| ♭2 | Db |
| 3 | E |
| 4 | F |
| ♭5 | Gb |
| ♭6 | Ab |
| 7 | B |
Chords in C Persian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C Persian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II | Db | Dbmaj7 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | Fm | Fm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Abaug | — | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C 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.
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- 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
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Persian Scale?
- The C Persian Scale has 7 notes: C, Db, E, F, Gb, Ab, B.
- What chords are in the C Persian Scale?
- The chords of C Persian are Db (♭II), Fm (iv), Abaug (♭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 C Persian on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.