Chord Colors

D Double Harmonic Major scale

About the D Double Harmonic Major scale

D 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 D Harmonic Major with the second lowered.

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

Also called Byzantine and Bhairav.

Learn more about the D Double Harmonic Major scale

D Double Harmonic Major draws four black keys from the piano, E, F, B, and C.

Notes and intervals

1DDRoot
2EbE♭Minor 2nd
3F#F♯Major 3rd
4GGPerfect 4th
5AAPerfect 5th
6BbB♭Minor 6th
7C#C♯Major 7th
StepsH 1½ H W H 1½ H
Semitones1-3-1-2-1-3-1
Degrees1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Fingering

Suggested fingering, follows standard fingering rules

Hand DE flatF sharpGAB flatC sharpD
Right hand12312345
Left hand54321321

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

Double Harmonic Major in other keys

Modes

The same notes, starting on a different note.

Embed this scale

Paste the snippet into a lesson page, a blog or a forum post. The card links back here.

D Double Harmonic Major scale on piano shown as colored note dots
Chord Colors

There's so much more to explore

Explore on the go. Over 150 chord progressions, modal mixture, build your own progressions, and more!

Try web version iOS app
Chord Colors on iPhone showing chords, guitar voicings, progressions, and scales