Guitar scale · Byzantine scale
F 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.
F 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|-----------------------------1-2-5-| B|-------------------------2-5-------| G|-------------------2-3-5-----------| D|-------------2-3-4-----------------| A|-------1-3-4-----------------------| E|-1-2-5-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-6-| B|-----------------------5-6-7-----| G|-----------------3-5-6-----------| D|-----------3-4-7-----------------| A|-----3-4-7-----------------------| E|-5-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-6-8-9-| B|-------------------------6-7---------| G|-------------------5-6-9-------------| D|---------------7-8-------------------| A|---------7-8-9-----------------------| E|-5-6-8-9-----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------8-9-12-| B|-------------------------------10-11--------| G|-----------------------9-10-11--------------| D|---------------8-10-11----------------------| A|--------8-9-12------------------------------| E|-8-9-12-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-14-| B|----------------------------------11-13-14----------| G|-------------------------10-11-14-------------------| D|----------------10-11-14----------------------------| A|----------12-13-------------------------------------| E|-12-13-14-------------------------------------------|
How to play F Double Harmonic Major on guitar
Find the root first: F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 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 1–5. 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 | Gb |
| 3 | A |
| 4 | Bb |
| 5 | C |
| ♭6 | Db |
| 7 | E |
Chords in F 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 F Double Harmonic Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | F | Fmaj7 | Tonic |
| ♭II | Gb | Gbmaj7 | Supertonic |
| iii | Am | — | Mediant |
| iv | Bbm | Bbm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Dbaug | Dbmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise F Double Harmonic Major anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the F Double Harmonic Major Scale?
- The F Double Harmonic Major Scale has 7 notes: F, Gb, A, Bb, C, Db, E.
- What chords are in the F Double Harmonic Major Scale?
- The chords of F Double Harmonic Major are F (I), Gb (♭II), Am (iii), Bbm (iv), Dbaug (♭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 F Double Harmonic Major on the guitar?
- The root F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 1–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.