Byzantine (Double Harmonic Major) scale on guitar

The Byzantine scale, also called double harmonic major, has two wide gaps and sounds strongly Middle Eastern.

Notes in A	A Bb C# D E F G#
Formula	1 b2 3 4 5 b6 7
Steps	H W+H H W H W+H H (W whole step, H half step)
Note count	7
Style in the app	Gypsy, scale "Byzantine"

A Byzantine scale on the first 15 frets in standard tuning, thin e string on top. Highlighted circles mark the root, A.

Play the A Byzantine scale on the fretboard in Guitar Upscale

About the Byzantine (Double Harmonic Major) scale

The notes are root, flat 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, flat 6th and 7th. It has two gaps of three half steps: from the flat 2nd to the 3rd and from the flat 6th to the 7th.

Both halves of the scale have the same shape, which gives it a balanced, exotic sound. It is also called the Arabic or Gypsy major scale.

Surf rock and film music use it for a desert sound. Play it over a major chord on the root.

Intervals from the root

Degree	Interval	Semitones	In A
1	Root	0	A
b2	Minor 2nd	1	Bb
3	Major 3rd	4	C#
4	Perfect 4th	5	D
5	Perfect 5th	7	E
b6	Minor 6th	8	F
7	Major 7th	11	G#

Chords in the A Byzantine scale

Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each note. These chords sound at home with the scale, so they make good progressions.

Degree	Triad	Seventh chord
I	A	Amaj7
bII	Bb	Bbmaj7
iii	C#m	C#m6
iv	Dm	DmMaj7
V	E(b5)	E7b5
bVI+	Faug	Fmaj7#5
VII	none	none

Same notes, another starting note

Start the A Byzantine scale on another of its notes and you get these scales:

From degree 4 (D): D Hungarian Minor scale
From degree 5 (E): E Oriental Scale

Byzantine scale in every key

Key	Notes	Play it
C	C Db E F G Ab B	Open
Db	Db D F Gb Ab A C	Open
D	D Eb F# G A Bb C#	Open
Eb	Eb Fb G Ab Bb Cb D	Open
E	E F G# A B C D#	Open
F	F Gb A Bb C Db E	Open
F#	F# G A# B C# D E#	Open
G	G Ab B C D Eb F#	Open
Ab	Ab A C Db Eb Fb G	Open
A	A Bb C# D E F G#	Open
Bb	Bb Cb D Eb F Gb A	Open
B	B C D# E F# G A#	Open