Also written Hungarian Minor, Nawa Athar or Nihavent
C gypsy minor contains C, D, E♭, G♭, G, A♭, B. Box 1 has the root on string 5, fret 3.
C gypsy minor is C harmonic minor with the fourth degree raised: F becomes G♭. The 1½-step gap between E♭ and G♭ is characteristic. See C harmonic minor for the parent scale.
Use C gypsy minor over C minor or C 5th chords. The ♭5 adds colour to C minor and C 5th. It fits Eastern European and jazz fusion styles.
Practise Box 1 first. It places the root on string 5, fret 3 and covers frets 2–5, setting up Box 2.
C gypsy minor in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 15 notes across 6 strings, from G♭ on the low E string at fret 2 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the A string at fret 3 and the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 3, 4 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 2, 3, 5 | B, C, D |
| 4 (D) | 4, 5 | G♭, G |
| 3 (G) | 4, 5 | B, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 4 | D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 2, 3, 4 | G♭, G, A♭ |
C gypsy minor in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 14 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to B on the high e string at fret 7. The root falls on the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 7 | A♭, B |
| 5 (A) | 5, 6 | D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 5, 6 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 5, 7 | B, C, D |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7 | E♭, G♭ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 7 | A♭, B |
C gypsy minor in box 3 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 15 notes across 6 strings, from C on the low E string at fret 8 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the low E string at fret 8, the D string at fret 10 and the high e string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9, 10, 11 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 10 | B, C |
| 3 (G) | 8, 11 | E♭, G♭ |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9 | G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
C gypsy minor in box 4 runs from fret 10 to fret 13, 14 notes across 6 strings, from D on the low E string at fret 10 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the D string at fret 10 and the B string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10, 11 | D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 10, 11 | G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 10, 12, 13 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 12, 13 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 12, 13 | B, C |
| 1 (e) | 10, 11 | D, E♭ |
C gypsy minor, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭5 and runs from fret 1 to fret 7, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 3 and the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 3, 4 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 2, 3, 5 | B, C, D |
| 4 (D) | 1, 4, 5 | E♭, G♭, G |
| 3 (G) | 1, 4, 5 | A♭, B, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 4, 7 | D, E♭, G♭ |
| 1 (e) | 3, 4, 7 | G, A♭, B |
C gypsy minor, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 5 and runs from fret 3 to fret 8, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 3, the G string at fret 5 and the high e string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 4, 7 | G, A♭, B |
| 5 (A) | 3, 5, 6 | C, D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 5, 6 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 4, 5, 7 | B, C, D |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7, 8 | E♭, G♭, G |
| 1 (e) | 4, 7, 8 | A♭, B, C |
C gypsy minor, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭6 and runs from fret 4 to fret 10, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 8, the G string at fret 5 and the high e string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 7, 8 | A♭, B, C |
| 5 (A) | 5, 6, 9 | D, E♭, G♭ |
| 4 (D) | 5, 6, 9 | G, A♭, B |
| 3 (G) | 5, 7, 8 | C, D, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 8, 9 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 7, 8, 10 | B, C, D |
C gypsy minor, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 7 and runs from fret 6 to fret 12, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 8, the D string at fret 10 and the high e string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 7, 8, 10 | B, C, D |
| 5 (A) | 6, 9, 10 | E♭, G♭, G |
| 4 (D) | 6, 9, 10 | A♭, B, C |
| 3 (G) | 7, 8, 11 | D, E♭, G♭ |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9, 12 | G, A♭, B |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
C gypsy minor, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 8 to fret 14, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 8, the D string at fret 10 and the B string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9, 10, 11 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 9, 10, 12 | B, C, D |
| 3 (G) | 8, 11, 12 | E♭, G♭, G |
| 2 (B) | 9, 12, 13 | A♭, B, C |
| 1 (e) | 10, 11, 14 | D, E♭, G♭ |
C gypsy minor, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 2 and runs from fret 10 to fret 15, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 10 and the B string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10, 11, 14 | D, E♭, G♭ |
| 5 (A) | 10, 11, 14 | G, A♭, B |
| 4 (D) | 10, 12, 13 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 12, 13 | G♭, G, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 12, 13, 15 | B, C, D |
| 1 (e) | 11, 14, 15 | E♭, G♭, G |
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 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 15 and the B string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 14, 15 | E♭, G♭, G |
| 5 (A) | 11, 14, 15 | A♭, B, C |
| 4 (D) | 12, 13, 16 | D, E♭, G♭ |
| 3 (G) | 12, 13, 16 | G, A♭, B |
| 2 (B) | 13, 15, 16 | C, D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 14, 15, 16 | G♭, G, A♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
C, D, E♭, G♭, G, A♭, B. The fourth degree is flattened. The seventh is major.
C minor and C 5th are the primary chords. The flat fifth creates tension. Use it in minor progressions.
C gypsy minor raises the fourth degree from F to G♭. This creates a 1½-step gap between E♭ and G♭. The rest of the scale matches C harmonic minor.