Guitar scale · exotic
E 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.
E 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|-----------------------------0-1-4-| B|-------------------------1-4-------| G|-------------------1-2-3-----------| D|-------------1-2-3-----------------| A|-------0-1-3-----------------------| E|-0-1-4-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-5-6-| B|-----------------------4-5-6-------| G|-----------------2-3-5-------------| D|-----------2-3-6-------------------| A|-------3-6-------------------------| E|-4-5-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-5-6-8-| B|-------------------------5-6---------| G|---------------------5-8-------------| D|---------------6-7-8-----------------| A|---------6-7-8-----------------------| E|-4-5-6-8-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------8-11-| B|---------------------------9-10-11------| G|--------------------8-9-10--------------| D|-------------7-8-10---------------------| A|------7-8-11----------------------------| E|-8-11-----------------------------------|
e|------------------------------------------11-12-13-| B|---------------------------------10-11-13----------| G|-------------------------9-10-13-------------------| D|-------------------10-13---------------------------| A|----------11-12-13---------------------------------| E|-11-12-13------------------------------------------|
How to play E Persian on guitar
Find the root first: E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every E 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 0–4. 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 | E |
| ♭2 | F |
| 3 | G# |
| 4 | A |
| ♭5 | Bb |
| ♭6 | C |
| 7 | D# |
Chords in E Persian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in E Persian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II | F | Fmaj7 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | Am | Am(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Caug | — | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise E 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
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Questions
- What notes are in the E Persian Scale?
- The E Persian Scale has 7 notes: E, F, G#, A, Bb, C, D#.
- What chords are in the E Persian Scale?
- The chords of E Persian are F (♭II), Am (iv), Caug (♭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 E Persian on the guitar?
- The root E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 0–4, and four more positions connect it up the neck.