About the C sharp Algerian scale
C sharp Algerian is used for North African flavored and cinematic music. Think of it as an ornate eight-note scale, a harmonic minor with an extra raised fourth. It is C♯ Diminished with the sixth lowered.
Its notes are C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G, G♯, A, and B♯. The formula is W H W H H H 1½ H. It is the fourth mode of G♯ Bebop Altered.
E, A, and G are open guitar strings that sit inside the scale, ready to drone under a riff. The lowest C♯ on a standard-tuned guitar sits at the 4th fret of the A string. Placed at the first fret, a capo lets C♯ Algerian be played with C-shape fingerings.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
8-position system
8 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 | C#C♯ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | D#D♯ | Major 2nd |
| 3 | EE | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | F#F♯ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | GG | Augmented 4th |
| 6 | G#G♯ | Perfect 5th |
| 7 | AA | Minor 6th |
| 8 | B#B♯ | Major 7th |
| Steps | W H W H H H 1½ H |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-1-2-1-1-1-3-1 |
| Degrees | 1 2 ♭3 4 ♯4 5 ♭6 7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Algerian in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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