Colour key
R234p567Each colour is a scale degree, counted from the key. A ♭ or ♯ note keeps its degree's colour: ♭3 is still amber.
A Persian
Double harmonic with a ♭5 instead of the 5th. Dark, eerie, Middle-Eastern.
Where you hear it: Over a major ♭5 tonic; colour lines over a drone.
Step pattern H – W+H – H – H – W – W+H – H
- Compared with A major: ♭2 B → B♭, ♭5 E → E♭, ♭6 F♯ → F
- Compared with A natural minor: ♭2 B → B♭, ♯3 C → C♯, ♭5 E → E♭, ♯7 G → G♯
A Persian on the guitar
Pick a position below to outline it on the neck.
in the pentatonic r ♭2 3 ♭5 ♭6: playedother notes of Persian: not playedPlay runs up the position from its lowest note and back down; Sample melody plays a short tune using only its notes. Tap a position's name to see it on the neck.
Modes with the same notes as A Persian
Persian is a scale of its own, not a mode of the major, harmonic minor or melodic minor scale, so no named mode shares its notes.
Every chord in A Persian
- Amaj7♭51/7easyfret 5· shell
- B♭maj71/22easyfret 6· shell
- C♯sus21/2mediumfret 11· smaller chord, also fits
- Dm(maj7)1/7mediumfret 5
- E♭sus41/3mediumfret 1· smaller chord, also fits
- F7♯51/11easyfret 1· shell
- G♯sus2(♭5)(add?)1/1mediumfret 6· adds mode notes
Each chord stacks every other note of the scale (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th). Tap a row to hear it.
Sus and extension chords from each chord
From A(♭5) you can go through the 2nd of the scale to sus2 and 9 chords, through the 4th to sus4 and 11, and so on. All seven chords of A Persian.
Hover or focus a small bubble for what it is, click to keep the note open.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Closest shape: leaves out a colour note.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Closest shape: leaves out a colour note.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
No common guitar shape for this chord in the library.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.