Chord Colors

A♯ Vietnamese scale

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About the A sharp Vietnamese scale

A sharp Vietnamese is used for Vietnamese-flavored and folk melodies. Think of it as a dark five-note scale with a minor third and flat sixth.

Its notes are A, C, D, E, and F. The formula is 1½ W W H 4 semitones.

On guitar, the deepest A within reach is the 1st fret of the A string. A capo at the first fret lets a guitarist play A Vietnamese with A-shape fingerings.

Positions

Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.

Pentatonic boxes

The five shapes blues and rock are built on, the first scale most guitarists ever solo with, one box per note up the neck.

Box 1fr 1
Box 2fr 2
Box 3fr 6
Box 4fr 9
Box 5fr 11

Notes and intervals

1A#A♯Root
2C#C♯Minor 3rd
3D#D♯Perfect 4th
4E#E♯Perfect 5th
5F#F♯Minor 6th
Steps1½ W W H 4 semitones
Semitones3-2-2-1-4
Degrees1 3 4 5 6

Shapes

Chromatic

CC♯D♭DD♯E♭EFF♯G♭GG♯A♭AA♯B♭B

Circle of Fifths

CGDAEBF♯G♭C♯D♭G♯A♭D♯E♭A♯B♭F

Related scales

Vietnamese in other keys

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Bb Vietnamese scale on guitar shown as colored note dots
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