Also written Byzantine
E♭ gypsy major uses E♭, F♭, G, A♭, B♭, C♭, D. Box 2 places the root at string 3, fret 6 for a comfortable position.
E♭ gypsy major comes from E♭ phrygian dominant by raising the seventh degree D♭ to D. This creates a leading tone and an augmented second between C♭ and D. Compare with E♭ phrygian dominant to hear the change. The intervals are 1, ♭2, 3, 4, 5, ♭6, 7.
E♭ gypsy major works over E♭ major or E♭ 5th chords. It is useful in jazz and fusion for its altered dominant sound. Try it over E♭ major or E♭ 5th progressions.
Learn Box 2 first: the root is on string 3, fret 6, and the pattern covers frets 3–6. It offers a comfortable mid-neck position and sets up Box 3.
E♭ gypsy major in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 10 notes across 4 strings, from F♭ on the E string at fret 0 up to B♭ on the G string at fret 3. The root falls on the D string at fret 1.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 0, 3 | F♭, G |
| 3 (A) | 1, 2 | B♭, C♭ |
| 2 (D) | 0, 1, 2 | D, E♭, F♭ |
| 1 (G) | 0, 1, 3 | G, A♭, B♭ |
E♭ gypsy major in box 2 runs from fret 3 to fret 6, 9 notes across 4 strings, from G on the E string at fret 3 up to C♭ on the G string at fret 4. The root falls on the A string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (A) | 5, 6 | D, E♭ |
| 2 (D) | 5, 6 | G, A♭ |
| 1 (G) | 3, 4 | B♭, C♭ |
E♭ gypsy major in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 10 notes across 4 strings, from B♭ on the E string at fret 6 up to F♭ on the G string at fret 9. The root falls on the A string at fret 6 and the G string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 6, 7 | B♭, C♭ |
| 3 (A) | 6, 7 | E♭, F♭ |
| 2 (D) | 6, 8, 9 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 1 (G) | 7, 8, 9 | D, E♭, F♭ |
E♭ gypsy major in box 4 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 10 notes across 4 strings, from E♭ on the E string at fret 11 up to A♭ on the G string at fret 13. The root falls on the E string at fret 11 and the D string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11, 12 | E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (A) | 11, 13, 14 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 2 (D) | 12, 13, 14 | D, E♭, F♭ |
| 1 (G) | 12, 13 | G, A♭ |
E♭ gypsy major, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭2 and runs from fret 0 to fret 5, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 1.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 0, 3, 4 | F♭, G, A♭ |
| 3 (A) | 1, 2, 5 | B♭, C♭, D |
| 2 (D) | 1, 2, 5 | E♭, F♭, G |
| 1 (G) | 1, 3, 4 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
E♭ gypsy major, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 3 and runs from fret 2 to fret 7, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (A) | 2, 5, 6 | C♭, D, E♭ |
| 2 (D) | 2, 5, 6 | F♭, G, A♭ |
| 1 (G) | 3, 4, 7 | B♭, C♭, D |
E♭ gypsy major, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 4 and runs from fret 4 to fret 8, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 6 and the G string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 4, 6, 7 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 3 (A) | 5, 6, 7 | D, E♭, F♭ |
| 2 (D) | 5, 6, 8 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (G) | 4, 7, 8 | C♭, D, E♭ |
E♭ gypsy major, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 5 and runs from fret 6 to fret 10, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 6 and the G string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 6, 7, 10 | B♭, C♭, D |
| 3 (A) | 6, 7, 10 | E♭, F♭, G |
| 2 (D) | 6, 8, 9 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 1 (G) | 7, 8, 9 | D, E♭, F♭ |
E♭ gypsy major, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭6 and runs from fret 7 to fret 12, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 11 and the G string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 7, 10, 11 | C♭, D, E♭ |
| 3 (A) | 7, 10, 11 | F♭, G, A♭ |
| 2 (D) | 8, 9, 12 | B♭, C♭, D |
| 1 (G) | 8, 9, 12 | E♭, F♭, G |
E♭ gypsy major, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 7 and runs from fret 9 to fret 13, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 11 and the D string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 10, 11, 12 | D, E♭, F♭ |
| 3 (A) | 10, 11, 13 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (D) | 9, 12, 13 | C♭, D, E♭ |
| 1 (G) | 9, 12, 13 | F♭, G, A♭ |
E♭ gypsy major, position 7 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 11 to fret 15, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 11 and the D string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 11, 12, 15 | E♭, F♭, G |
| 3 (A) | 11, 13, 14 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 2 (D) | 12, 13, 14 | D, E♭, F♭ |
| 1 (G) | 12, 13, 15 | G, A♭, B♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
The notes are E♭, F♭, G, A♭, B♭, C♭, and D. It has a flat second, major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, flat sixth, and major seventh. The scale is also known as Byzantine. It is also spelled D♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
The tonic chord is E♭ major or E♭ 5th. The fifth degree chord is B♭ 7th flat 5. Use it over dominant sounds in E♭.
E♭ gypsy major has a major seventh, D, while E♭ phrygian dominant has a minor seventh, D♭. That change gives a stronger pull to the tonic. The rest of the notes are identical.