Guitar UpscaleMohammedan Scale on guitar
The Mohammedan scale is an old name for harmonic minor, a minor scale with a major seventh.
This scale has the same notes as the Harmonic Minor scale. The app lists it under both names.
| Notes in A | A B C D E F G# |
|---|---|
| Formula | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 |
| Steps | W H W W H W+H H (W whole step, H half step) |
| Note count | 7 |
| Style in the app | Middle Eastern, scale "Mohammedan / Harmonic" |
Play the A Mohammedan Scale on the fretboard in Guitar Upscale
About the Mohammedan Scale
Old scale books use the name Mohammedan for the notes of harmonic minor: root, 2nd, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th, flat 6th and 7th.
The gap between the flat 6th and the major 7th gives it an Eastern sound, while the major 7th pulls strongly to the root.
Everything that works for harmonic minor works here, chords included.
Intervals from the root
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | In A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A |
| 2 | Major 2nd | 2 | B |
| b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 | 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 Mohammedan 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 | Am | AmMaj7 |
| ii° | Bdim | Bm7b5 |
| bIII+ | Caug | Cmaj7#5 |
| iv | Dm | Dm7 |
| V | E | E7 |
| bVI | F | Fmaj7 |
| vii° | G#dim | G#dim7 |
Same notes, another starting note
Start the A Mohammedan Scale on another of its notes and you get these scales:
- From degree 2 (B): B Locrian Natural 6 scale
- From degree b3 (C): C Ionian #5 scale
- From degree 4 (D): D Romanian Minor scale
- From degree 5 (E): E Phrygian Dominant scale
- From degree b6 (F): F Lydian #2 scale
- From degree 7 (G#): G# Ultralocrian scale
Mohammedan Scale in every key
| Key | Notes | Play it |
|---|---|---|
| C | C D Eb F G Ab B | Open |
| C# | C# D# E F# G# A B# | Open |
| D | D E F G A Bb C# | Open |
| Eb | Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb D | Open |
| E | E F# G A B C D# | Open |
| F | F G Ab Bb C Db E | Open |
| F# | F# G# A B C# D E# | Open |
| G | G A Bb C D Eb F# | Open |
| G# | G# A# B C# D# E G | Open |
| A | A B C D E F G# | Open |
| Bb | Bb C Db Eb F Gb A | Open |
| B | B C# D E F# G A# | Open |