C Hungarian Gypsy contains C, D, E♭, F♯, G, A♭, B♭. Box 1 places the root on A string fret 3 and G string fret 5.
C Hungarian Gypsy contains C, D, E♭, F♯, G, A♭, B♭. Box 1 places the root on A string fret 3 and G string fret 5.
Raise the fourth of C natural minor from F to F♯ and you get this scale. The interval from E♭ to F♯ spans three semitones, then F♯ to G is a half-step. See C natural minor for the unaltered form.
Play it over C minor or C 5th for a brooding, eastern feel. The ♯4 works well in C minor progressions. It fits dark folk, metal, and cinematic music. Try it over C 5th for a drone.
Start with Box 1. The root sits on the fifth and third strings, making it easy to visualise the scale shape.
C hungarian gypsy in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 14 notes across 6 strings, from F♯ 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 | F♯, G, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 3, 5 | C, D |
| 4 (D) | 4, 5 | F♯, G |
| 3 (G) | 3, 5 | B♭, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 4 | D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 2, 3, 4 | F♯, G, A♭ |
C hungarian gypsy in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 13 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the G string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 5, 6 | D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 5, 6 | F♯, G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 5, 7 | C, D |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7 | E♭, F♯ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
C hungarian gypsy in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 13 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 up to C on the high e string at fret 8. The root falls on the low E string at fret 8 and the high e string at fret 8.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 8 | B♭, C |
| 5 (A) | 6, 9 | E♭, F♯ |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8 | A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 7, 8 | D, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 8, 9 | F♯, G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 8 | B♭, C |
C hungarian gypsy in box 4 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 16 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 | F♯, G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 8, 10 | B♭, C |
| 3 (G) | 8, 11 | E♭, F♯ |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9, 11 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
C hungarian gypsy in box 5 runs from fret 10 to fret 13, 15 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, 13 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 10, 12, 13 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 12, 13 | F♯, G, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 13 | B♭, C |
| 1 (e) | 10, 11 | D, E♭ |
C hungarian gypsy, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♯4 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 | F♯, G, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 3, 5 | B♭, C, D |
| 4 (D) | 1, 4, 5 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3, 5 | A♭, B♭, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 4, 7 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 1 (e) | 3, 4, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
C hungarian gypsy, 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, 6 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 3, 5, 6 | C, D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 5, 6 | F♯, G, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 3, 5, 7 | B♭, C, D |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7, 8 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6, 8 | A♭, B♭, C |
C hungarian gypsy, 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, 6, 8 | A♭, B♭, C |
| 5 (A) | 5, 6, 9 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 4 (D) | 5, 6, 8 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 5, 7, 8 | C, D, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 8, 9 | F♯, G, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 8, 10 | B♭, C, D |
C hungarian gypsy, 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 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) | 6, 8, 10 | B♭, C, D |
| 5 (A) | 6, 9, 10 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8, 10 | A♭, B♭, C |
| 3 (G) | 7, 8, 11 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 2 (B) | 8, 9, 11 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10, 11 | C, D, E♭ |
C hungarian gypsy, 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 | F♯, G, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 8, 10, 12 | B♭, C, D |
| 3 (G) | 8, 11, 12 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11, 13 | A♭, B♭, C |
| 1 (e) | 10, 11, 14 | D, E♭, F♯ |
C hungarian gypsy, 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♭, F♯ |
| 5 (A) | 10, 11, 13 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 10, 12, 13 | C, D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 12, 13 | F♯, G, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 13, 15 | B♭, C, D |
| 1 (e) | 11, 14, 15 | E♭, F♯, G |
C hungarian gypsy, 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♭, F♯, G |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13, 15 | A♭, B♭, C |
| 4 (D) | 12, 13, 16 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 3 (G) | 12, 13, 15 | G, A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 13, 15, 16 | C, D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 14, 15, 16 | F♯, G, A♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
C, D, E♭, F♯, G, A♭, B♭. The scale has a raised fourth and a minor third. It is a seven-note scale.
C minor and C 5th are the most common. The ♯4 creates tension over minor chords. Use it for a dark, exotic sound.
The F♯ creates a wide leap from E♭ and a half-step to G. This gives the scale its distinctive eastern flavour. It is the only note that differs from natural minor.