Exotic / World Also known as Byzantine

A Double Harmonic Major

NOTES

A A♯ C♯ D E F G♯ A

SCALE FORMULA

1 – ♭2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – 7

ABOUT THIS SCALE

An exotic major scale with both a flat second and flat sixth. It has a dramatic Middle Eastern and Eastern European character.

GUITAR FRETBOARD

Standard tuning — E A D G B E — open through fret 24.

Direction

Speed

Scale note Root Click any note to hear it.

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Playback: The scale follows a practical two-octave route across nearby strings and frets. The note currently sounding turns bright white.

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Chord progression ideas

Key of A

I – ♭II – I

A → A♯ → A

The immediate half-step movement strongly exposes the scale's exotic flat-second character.

I – ♭II – iv – I

A → A♯ → Dm → A

A dramatic progression that retains several of the scale's most characteristic tones.