About the A sharp Double Harmonic Major scale
A sharp Double Harmonic Major is used for Byzantine, Arabic and Middle Eastern music and dramatic film cues. Think of it as the Byzantine scale, two big steps and a stately, ancient sound. It is A♯ Harmonic Major with the second lowered.
Its notes are A♯, B, C♯♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, and G♯♯. The formula is H 1½ H W H 1½ H.
Also called Byzantine and Bhairav.
An unfretted guitar already sounds A, D, and B from the key. Down at the 1st fret of the A string lies the lowest A♯ a guitar can play. A capo at the first fret brings A♯ Double Harmonic Major within reach of A-shape fingerings.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
CAGED
Five shapes, each anchored to a chord form you already know, the pop and rock default that ties your scales to your chords. The outlined notes are that chord, so you can see the C, A, G, E, and D shapes inside the scale.
3NPS
3NPS stands for 3 notes per string. It lays the scale out in seven even shapes for rock and metal lead, and favors speed because the picking pattern stays consistent across every string.
7-position system
7 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | A#A♯ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | BB | Minor 2nd |
| 3 | C##C♯♯ | Major 3rd |
| 4 | D#D♯ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | E#E♯ | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | F#F♯ | Minor 6th |
| 7 | G##G♯♯ | Major 7th |
| Steps | H 1½ H W H 1½ H |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 1-3-1-2-1-3-1 |
| Degrees | 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Double Harmonic Major in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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