Guitar UpscalePersian Scale on guitar
The Persian scale has a flat second, a flat fifth and a major seventh, a tense scale with three wide gaps.
| Notes in A | A Bb C# D Eb F G# |
|---|---|
| Formula | 1 b2 3 4 b5 b6 7 |
| Steps | H W+H H H W W+H H (W whole step, H half step) |
| Note count | 7 |
| Style in the app | Middle Eastern, scale "Persian" |
Play A Persian Scale on the fretboard in Guitar Upscale
About the Persian Scale
The notes are root, flat 2nd, 3rd, 4th, flat 5th, flat 6th and 7th. It holds two gaps of three half steps.
With a flat 5th, the root chord is unstable, so the scale sounds unresolved and mysterious.
Play it slowly and let the flat 2nd and the major 7th lean on the root from either side.
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 |
| b5 | Tritone | 6 | Eb |
| b6 | Minor 6th | 8 | F |
| 7 | Major 7th | 11 | G# |
Chords in A Persian 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(b5) | Amaj7b5 |
| bII | Bb | Bbmaj7 |
| III | C#sus2 | none |
| iv | Dm | DmMaj7 |
| bV | Ebsus4 | none |
| bVI+ | Faug | F7#5 |
| VII | none | none |
Persian Scale in every key
| Key | Notes | Play it |
|---|---|---|
| C | C Db E F Gb Ab B | Open |
| Db | Db D F Gb G A C | Open |
| D | D Eb F# G Ab Bb C# | Open |
| Eb | Eb Fb G Ab A Cb D | Open |
| E | E F G# A Bb C D# | Open |
| F | F Gb A Bb Cb Db E | Open |
| F# | F# G A# B C D E# | Open |
| G | G Ab B C Db Eb F# | Open |
| Ab | Ab A C Db D Fb G | Open |
| A | A Bb C# D Eb F G# | Open |
| Bb | Bb Cb D Eb Fb Gb A | Open |
| B | B C D# E F G A# | Open |