About the C sharp Oriental (Chinese) scale
C sharp Oriental (Chinese) is used for Middle Eastern flavored and cinematic melodies. Think of it as an exotic dominant scale with a flat second and flat fifth.
Its notes are C♯, D, E♯, F♯, G, A♯, and B. The formula is H 1½ H H 1½ H W. It is the fifth mode of F♯ Double Harmonic Major.
C♯ Oriental (Chinese) draws three black keys from the piano, C♯, F♯, and A♯.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | C#C♯ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | DD | Minor 2nd |
| 3 | E#E♯ | Major 3rd |
| 4 | F#F♯ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | GG | Diminished 5th |
| 6 | A#A♯ | Major 6th |
| 7 | BB | Minor 7th |
| Steps | H 1½ H H 1½ H W |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 1-3-1-1-3-1-2 |
| Degrees | 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7 |
Fingering
Suggested fingering, follows standard fingering rules
| Hand | C sharp | D | E sharp | F sharp | G | A sharp | B | C sharp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Left hand | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Oriental (Chinese) in other keys
C Oriental (Chinese) scaleD Oriental (Chinese) scaleD sharp Oriental (Chinese) scaleE Oriental (Chinese) scaleF Oriental (Chinese) scaleF sharp Oriental (Chinese) scaleG Oriental (Chinese) scaleG sharp Oriental (Chinese) scaleA Oriental (Chinese) scaleA sharp Oriental (Chinese) scaleB Oriental (Chinese) scale
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.