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D Oriental (Chinese) scale

About the D Oriental (Chinese) scale

D 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 D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. The formula is H 1½ H H 1½ H W. It is the fifth mode of G Double Harmonic Major.

The black keys E, F, and A belong to D Oriental (Chinese).

Notes and intervals

1DDRoot
2EbE♭Minor 2nd
3F#F♯Major 3rd
4GGPerfect 4th
5AbA♭Diminished 5th
6BBMajor 6th
7CCMinor 7th
StepsH 1½ H H 1½ H W
Semitones1-3-1-1-3-1-2
Degrees1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Fingering

Suggested fingering, follows standard fingering rules

Hand DE flatF sharpGA flatBCD
Right hand12312345
Left hand43214321

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

Oriental (Chinese) in other keys

Modes

The same notes, starting on a different note.

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D Oriental (Chinese) scale on piano shown as colored note dots
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