Chord Colors

G Vietnamese scale

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About the G Vietnamese scale

G Vietnamese is used for Vietnamese-flavored and folk melodies. Think of it as a dark five-note scale with a minor third and flat sixth.

Its notes are G, B, C, D, and E. The formula is 1½ W W H 4 semitones.

Two open-string notes belong to G Vietnamese, namely D and G. Down at the 3rd fret of the low E string lies the lowest G a guitar can play. The key runs a complete octave from root to root inside the first three frets.

Positions

Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.

Pentatonic boxes

The five shapes blues and rock are built on, the first scale most guitarists ever solo with, one box per note up the neck.

Box 1fr 3
Box 2fr 6
Box 3fr 8
Box 4fr 10
Box 5fr 11

Notes and intervals

1GGRoot
2BbB♭Minor 3rd
3CCPerfect 4th
4DDPerfect 5th
5EbE♭Minor 6th
Steps1½ W W H 4 semitones
Semitones3-2-2-1-4
Degrees1 3 4 5 6

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

Vietnamese in other keys

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G Vietnamese scale on guitar shown as colored note dots
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