About the E Algerian scale
E 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 E Diminished with the sixth lowered.
Its notes are E, F♯, G, A, A♯, B, C, and D♯. The formula is W H W H H H 1½ H. It is the fourth mode of B Bebop Altered.
Four open-string notes belong to E Algerian, namely E, A, G, and B. The lowest E on a guitar is the open low E string. A full root-to-root octave of this mode fits within the first three frets, so it has a real open-position box.
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 | EE | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | F#F♯ | Major 2nd |
| 3 | GG | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | AA | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | A#A♯ | Augmented 4th |
| 6 | BB | Perfect 5th |
| 7 | CC | Minor 6th |
| 8 | D#D♯ | 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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