Also written Hungarian Minor, Nawa Athar or Nihavent
C gypsy minor contains C, D, E♭, G♭, G, A♭, B. Its Box 1 root on string 3, fret 3 opens the scale in first position.
C gypsy minor raises the fourth of C harmonic minor to G♭, creating a ♭5 and an augmented second between E♭ and G♭. The major seventh B remains for a strong leading tone. Compare it with C harmonic minor to hear the altered fourth.
Use C gypsy minor over C minor and C 5th chords for a dark, exotic color. The ♭5 G♭ works over D 7th flat 5, and the major seventh B fits E♭ augmented. It suits Eastern European and Middle Eastern styles.
Practise Box 1 first: the root sits on string 3, fret 3, covering frets 2–5 and setting up Box 2.
C gypsy minor in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 10 notes across 4 strings, from G♭ on the E string at fret 2 up to C on the G string at fret 5. The root falls on the A string at fret 3 and the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 2, 3, 4 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 3 (A) | 2, 3, 5 | B, C, D |
| 2 (D) | 4, 5 | G♭, G |
| 1 (G) | 4, 5 | B, C |
C gypsy minor in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 10 notes across 4 strings, from A♭ on the E string at fret 4 up to D on the G string at fret 7. The root falls on the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 4, 7 | A♭, B |
| 3 (A) | 5, 6 | D, E♭ |
| 2 (D) | 4, 5, 6 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 1 (G) | 4, 5, 7 | B, C, D |
C gypsy minor in box 3 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 10 notes across 4 strings, from C on the E string at fret 8 up to G♭ on the G string at fret 11. The root falls on the E string at fret 8 and the D string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (A) | 9, 10, 11 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 2 (D) | 9, 10 | B, C |
| 1 (G) | 8, 11 | E♭, G♭ |
C gypsy minor in box 4 runs from fret 10 to fret 13, 10 notes across 4 strings, from D on the E string at fret 10 up to A♭ on the G string at fret 13. The root falls on the D string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 10, 11 | D, E♭ |
| 3 (A) | 10, 11 | G, A♭ |
| 2 (D) | 10, 12, 13 | C, D, E♭ |
| 1 (G) | 11, 12, 13 | G♭, G, A♭ |
C gypsy minor, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭5 and runs from fret 1 to fret 5, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 3 and the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 2, 3, 4 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 3 (A) | 2, 3, 5 | B, C, D |
| 2 (D) | 1, 4, 5 | E♭, G♭, G |
| 1 (G) | 1, 4, 5 | A♭, B, C |
C gypsy minor, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 5 and runs from fret 3 to fret 7, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 3 and the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 3, 4, 7 | G, A♭, B |
| 3 (A) | 3, 5, 6 | C, D, E♭ |
| 2 (D) | 4, 5, 6 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 1 (G) | 4, 5, 7 | B, C, D |
C gypsy minor, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭6 and runs from fret 4 to fret 9, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 8 and the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 4, 7, 8 | A♭, B, C |
| 3 (A) | 5, 6, 9 | D, E♭, G♭ |
| 2 (D) | 5, 6, 9 | G, A♭, B |
| 1 (G) | 5, 7, 8 | C, D, E♭ |
C gypsy minor, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 7 and runs from fret 6 to fret 11, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 8 and the D string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 7, 8, 10 | B, C, D |
| 3 (A) | 6, 9, 10 | E♭, G♭, G |
| 2 (D) | 6, 9, 10 | A♭, B, C |
| 1 (G) | 7, 8, 11 | D, E♭, G♭ |
C gypsy minor, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 8 to fret 12, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 8 and the D string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (A) | 9, 10, 11 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 2 (D) | 9, 10, 12 | B, C, D |
| 1 (G) | 8, 11, 12 | E♭, G♭, G |
C gypsy minor, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 2 and runs from fret 10 to fret 14, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 10, 11, 14 | D, E♭, G♭ |
| 3 (A) | 10, 11, 14 | G, A♭, B |
| 2 (D) | 10, 12, 13 | C, D, E♭ |
| 1 (G) | 11, 12, 13 | G♭, G, A♭ |
C gypsy minor, position 7 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭3 and runs from fret 11 to fret 16, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 15.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11, 14, 15 | E♭, G♭, G |
| 3 (A) | 11, 14, 15 | A♭, B, C |
| 2 (D) | 12, 13, 16 | D, E♭, G♭ |
| 1 (G) | 12, 13, 16 | G, A♭, B |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
The notes are C, D, E♭, G♭, G, A♭, B. It has a ♭3, ♭5, and major 7. The ♭5 creates an augmented second with the ♭3.
C minor and C 5th are the tonic chords. D 7th flat 5 uses the ♭5, and E♭ augmented uses the ♭3 and ♯5. The major 7 B fits B major and B minor.
C gypsy minor raises the fourth degree to G♭. This creates a ♭5 and an augmented second between E♭ and G♭. The rest of the scale matches C harmonic minor.