Gypsy Major Scale (also known by it’s more scholarly name the, “Double Harmonic Major Scale”), is a major scale that offers musicians a specialized major sound that produces a unique quality to the major color...



In this lesson, I’ll be demonstrating some of the very interesting way’s that this scale can be applied through; scale fingering shapes, chord progressions, and melody lines…

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Gypsy Major Scale Shapes:
The “Gypsy Major Scale,” is a modified version of the Basic Major scale (Ionian Mode). These modifications shift the 2nd and 6th scale steps lower by a half-step as compared to the basic major scale.

This produces a group of tones that have degrees of; Tonic (1), flatted-second, (b2), Major third, (3) Perfect fourth (4) and Perfect fifth (5), Minor sixth, (b6), and Major seventh (7). If we were to perform this scale from the tonic note of “C” on the 6th string eighth fret, we’d generate a scale that looks like this…

“The ‘C’ Gypsy Major Scale”

If we took all of the scales degrees of “Gypsy Major Scale,” over to the 5th guitar string's root from the “C” tone at the third fret, we’d have this shape…




Scale Practice:
When practicing any scale it is always important to move the scale around the neck, inventing new patterns by changing tonic notes. Through that work, you can learn to view the scale on the fingerboard for any key center.

So, let’s change our tonal center from, “C,” over to an, “A.” The guitar makes this easy, because all we need to do is slide the patterns that we just covered, from “C” root notes, over to locations on the neck that support the use of the “A” as the new root Tone…

“The ‘A’ Gypsy Major Scale”

6th string root...

5th string root...





Chord Types for the Gypsy Major Scale…
The chord qualities that are associated to this scale are just as unique as the scales sound.

The scale has both a Major 7th and a Minor 2nd degree, (with a minor 6th), creating a chromatic three tone step around the root. This establishes a result to the color of the scales harmony with shifts to some fairly unorthodox chord types.

With this in mind, let’s work through this root of “A” Gypsy Major Scale and develop some possible chords that can associate nicely into this harmony...

Gypsy Scale Harmony (key center chords):


Chord Progression Application:
Working out chord changes that will operate well within the abstract scale situation of "Gypsy Scale" makes for some really interesting opportunities when it comes to applying the sound of new and different scales like the Gypsy major.

What I’ve done to help get you started, is organize a unique set of chords that sit within the harmonic structure of the “A” Gypsy Major Scale.” This chord progression can be something that you can use to help get you started with performing melodic phrases from the tones of the Gypsy Major.

Key of “A” Gypsy Major Chord Progression:






Melody Application:
The melodic work that can end up getting done with this scales tones, can take on many different directions due to the unique intervals involved with the scales construction.

So, in wrapping up, I wanted give you a chance to apply some melody using the Gypsy Major. And, I hope that you’ll go forward with this scale on your own too.

I’ve taken the chord progression from above (using our harmony from the “A” Gypsy Major), and I’ve developed a melodic line that you can use as a way to help get yourself started with applying the interesting sounds of the Gypsy Major tones. Here’s what that melody sounds like…

"A" Gypsy Major Melody:






Well, I'd like to end the discussion by saying, thanks for joining me... If you want to learn more about what I do as an online guitar teacher, then head over to my website at creativeguitarstudio.com and sign up your FREE lifetime membership.

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Thanks again and we'll catch up next week, for another episode of the, "Guitar Blog Insider."