Chord Colors

G♯ Chinese scale

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About the G sharp Chinese scale

G sharp Chinese is used for Chinese-flavored and cinematic melodies. Think of it as a bright five-note scale with a raised fourth and a major seventh.

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

Also called Amritavarshini.

An unfretted guitar already sounds D and G from this scale. On guitar, the deepest G within reach is the 4th fret of the low E string. Placed at the first fret, a capo lets G Chinese be played with G-shape fingerings.

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 4
Box 3fr 8
Box 4fr 10
Box 5fr 11

Notes and intervals

1G#G♯Root
2B#B♯Major 3rd
3DDAugmented 4th
4D#D♯Perfect 5th
5GGMajor 7th
Steps4 semitones W H 4 semitones H
Semitones4-2-1-4-1
Degrees1 3 4 5 7

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

Chinese 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.

Ab Chinese scale on guitar shown as colored note dots
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