C Double Harmonic Major Scale
C double harmonic major scale is certainly a weird one! But in a good way, of course.
Looking to spice up your repertoire of scale with an exotic one? The Byzantine or Gypsy major or Arabic major or Phrygian major is an exotic yet beautiful scale that you can certainly use in your compositions!
We talk all about the C double harmonic major scale, the intervals, and chords, as well as making the best out of this scale. If you don’t know about intervals yet, check out our easy guide to intervals first- we’ve covered everything from interval names to easy examples of building chords and scales with intervals, and it’s free!
Double Harmonic Major Scale
The scale is originally from the Middle East and Mediterranean but modern composers have widely used it in film scores and musical pieces.
The C Double Harmonic Major scale is comprised of the following notes:
C, Db, E, F, G, Ab, and B
Its interval structure can be broken down into the following sequence of intervals:
Whole – Half – Whole – Half – Whole – Whole – Half
This arrangement of intervals produces the scale’s signature sound, characterized by its intriguing blend of tones and semitones.
Chords in C Double Harmonic Major Scale
C maj7: C – E – G – B
Db maj7: Db – F – Ab – C
E aug-maj7: E – G# – B – D#
F maj7: F – A – C – E
G7: G – B – D – F
Ab maj7: Ab – C – Eb – G
B dim7: B – D – F – Ab
Try using the augmented major seventh and the diminished seventh chords to bring out the exotic nature of the scale!
Modes of the Double Harmonic Major
1. C Double Harmonic Major (Ionian):
Chords: Cmaj7, Dbmaj7, Eaugmaj7, Fmaj7, G7, Abmaj7, Bdim7
Notes: C – Db – E – F – G – Ab – B
2. D Phrygian ♭4:
Chords: Dm7, E7, Fmaj7, G7, Abmaj7, Bdim7, Cmaj7
Notes: D – E – F – G – Ab – B – C
3. E Lydian Augmented:
Chords: Emaj7, F#m7, G#m7, A#dim7, Cmaj7, D7, Bmaj7
Notes: E – F# – G# – A – B – C – D
4. F Ultra Locrian:
Chords: Fm7♭5, Gbmaj7♭5, Abm7, Bbb7, Cbmaj7, Db7, Ebm7
Notes: F – Gb – Ab – Bb – C – Db – E
5. G Double Harmonic Lydian:
Chords: Gmaj7, Abmaj7, Bdim7, Cmaj7, D7, Eaugmaj7, F#m7♭5
Notes: G – Ab – B – C – D – E – F#
6. A Locrian ♮3:
Chords: Am7, Bb7, Cmaj7, Dm7, E7, Fmaj7, G7
Notes: A – Bb – C – D – E – F – G
7. B Double Harmonic Major (Lydian Dominant):
Chords: B7, Cmaj7, D7, Eaugmaj7, F#m7♭5, G7, Am7
Notes: B – C – D# – E – F# – G – A
Conclusion
Now that we’ve talked all about the double harmonic major scale, we hope you have fun learning the shapes on your fretboard and try experimenting with the chords we’ve listed above.
