C PersianScale

Formula

H 1½ H H W 1½ H 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7
The family

C Persian on the chromatic circle

C Persian is one of the exotic scales. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

H 1½ H H W 1½ H 1 CI Persian ♭2 D♭II 3 EIII 4 FIV ♭5 G♭V ♭6 A♭VI 7 BVII C Persian
The whole neck

C Persian across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 7 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 1 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5
Harmony

Chords in C Persian

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
I C (3 ♭5 7) C E G♭ B
♭IID♭maj7D♭ F A♭ C
III E (𝄫3 5 𝄫7) E G♭ B D♭
ivFm(maj7)F A♭ C E
♭V G♭ (♯3 5 7) G♭ B D♭ F
♭VI+A♭7♯5A♭ C E G♭
VII B (𝄫3 ♭5 𝄫7) B D♭ F A♭
Context

Where C Persian fits

Double harmonic with a ♭5: a Middle-Eastern sound, used for exotic colour.

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Persian scale in every key

C Persian scale questions

What notes are in the C Persian scale?

C D♭ E F G♭ A♭ B. As degrees from the root: 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7.

What is the C Persian scale formula?

1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 7, or in steps between the notes, H 1½ H H W 1½ H (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the C Persian scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of C Persian up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the C shape to the A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape.

What chords are in the C Persian scale?

C (3 ♭5 7) (I), D♭maj7 (♭II), E (𝄫3 5 𝄫7) (III), Fm(maj7) (iv), G♭ (♯3 5 7) (♭V), A♭7♯5 (♭VI+), B (𝄫3 ♭5 𝄫7) (VII).

When is the C Persian scale used?

Double harmonic with a ♭5: a Middle-Eastern sound, used for exotic colour.