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