Guitar scale · exotic
F Oriental Scale
Mode 5 of Double Harmonic Major: a dominant-sounding scale with ♭2, ♭5, a major 6th and ♭7.
Tap any note to hear it.
F Oriental 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|-------------------------3-4-------| G|-------------------2-3-4-----------| D|-------------1-3-4-----------------| A|-------1-2-5-----------------------| E|-1-2-5-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-6-7-| B|-----------------------4-6-7-------| G|-----------------3-4-7-------------| D|-----------3-4-7-------------------| A|-------5-6-------------------------| E|-5-6-7-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-6-7-| B|-------------------------6-7-------| G|---------------------7-8-----------| D|---------------7-8-9---------------| A|-------5-6-8-9---------------------| E|-5-6-7-----------------------------|
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-------------------------------------------|
How to play F Oriental 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 | Cb |
| 6 | D |
| ♭7 | Eb |
Chords in F Oriental
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F Oriental; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| IV | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | Cb | Cbmaj7 | Dominant |
| vi | Dm | — | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F Oriental 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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Questions
- What notes are in the F Oriental Scale?
- The F Oriental Scale has 7 notes: F, Gb, A, Bb, Cb, D, Eb.
- What chords are in the F Oriental Scale?
- The chords of F Oriental are Gbaug (♭II+), Bb (IV), Cb (♭V), Dm (vi), Ebm (♭vii).
- What is the formula of the oriental scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W+H H H W+H H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play F Oriental 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.