About the G sharp Spanish Heptatonic scale
G sharp Spanish Heptatonic is used for flamenco and Spanish-flavored music. Think of it as the Spanish gypsy scale, a phrygian dominant filled out to eight notes. It is G♯ Bebop Locrian with the fourth lowered.
Its notes are G♯, A, B, B♯, C♯, D♯, E, and F♯. The formula is H W H H W H W W. It is the third mode of E Bebop Major.
Also called Flamenco Scale and Spanish Eight-Tone.
Three open-string notes belong to G♯ Spanish Heptatonic, namely E, A, and B. The 4th fret of the low E string is the lowest G♯ on the neck. A capo at the first fret brings G♯ Spanish Heptatonic within reach of G-shape fingerings.
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 | G#G♯ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | AA | Minor 2nd |
| 3 | BB | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | B#B♯ | Major 3rd |
| 5 | C#C♯ | Perfect 4th |
| 6 | D#D♯ | Perfect 5th |
| 7 | EE | Minor 6th |
| 8 | F#F♯ | Minor 7th |
| Steps | H W H H W H W W |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 1-2-1-1-2-1-2-2 |
| Degrees | 1 ♭2 ♭3 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Spanish Heptatonic in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.