Also written Byzantine
D gypsy major contains D, E♭, F♯, G, A, B♭, and C♯. Its Box 1 root on the 5th string, 5th fret gives a comfortable stretch for the augmented fifth.
D gypsy major is D phrygian dominant with the ♭7 raised to a major 7th. The scale keeps the ♭2, major 3rd, and ♭6, but the leading tone C♯ replaces C. Compare it with D phrygian dominant to hear the difference. The tritone between E♭ and A and the augmented fifth from D to B♭ give the scale its tension.
D gypsy major fits D major and D 5th chords, especially in metal and flamenco. The ♭2 and ♭6 also work over D major progressions that borrow from phrygian. Use it for dramatic runs or cadences resolving to D.
Learn Box 1 first; its root on the 5th string, 5th fret anchors the pattern and covers frets 2–5 for easy access to the ♭2 and major 7th.
D gypsy major in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 15 notes across 6 strings, from F♯ on the low E string at fret 2 up to A on the high e string at fret 5. The root falls on the A string at fret 5 and the B string at fret 3.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 3, 5 | F♯, G, A |
| 5 (A) | 4, 5 | C♯, D |
| 4 (D) | 4, 5 | F♯, G |
| 3 (G) | 2, 3 | A, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 2, 3, 4 | C♯, D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 2, 3, 5 | F♯, G, A |
D gypsy major in box 2 runs from fret 5 to fret 8, 14 notes across 6 strings, from A on the low E string at fret 5 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the A string at fret 5 and the G string at fret 7.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 5, 6 | A, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 5, 6 | D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 5, 7, 8 | G, A, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 7, 8 | C♯, D, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 8 | F♯, G |
| 1 (e) | 5, 6 | A, B♭ |
D gypsy major in box 3 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 low E string at fret 10, the D string at fret 12 and the high e string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10, 11 | D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 10, 12, 13 | G, A, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 12, 13 | C♯, D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 12 | F♯, G |
| 2 (B) | 10, 11 | A, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 10, 11 | D, E♭ |
D gypsy major, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 3 and runs from fret 1 to fret 7, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 5 and the B string at fret 3.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 3, 5 | F♯, G, A |
| 5 (A) | 1, 4, 5 | B♭, C♯, D |
| 4 (D) | 1, 4, 5 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 3 (G) | 2, 3, 6 | A, B♭, C♯ |
| 2 (B) | 3, 4, 7 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 1 (e) | 3, 5, 6 | G, A, B♭ |
D gypsy major, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 4 and runs from fret 3 to fret 9, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 5 and the G string at fret 7.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 5, 6 | G, A, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 5, 6 | C♯, D, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 5, 7 | F♯, G, A |
| 3 (G) | 3, 6, 7 | B♭, C♯, D |
| 2 (B) | 4, 7, 8 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 1 (e) | 5, 6, 9 | A, B♭, C♯ |
D gypsy major, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 5 and runs from fret 5 to fret 10, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 5, the G string at fret 7 and the high e string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 5, 6, 9 | A, B♭, C♯ |
| 5 (A) | 5, 6, 9 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 4 (D) | 5, 7, 8 | G, A, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 7, 8 | C♯, D, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 7, 8, 10 | F♯, G, A |
| 1 (e) | 6, 9, 10 | B♭, C♯, D |
D gypsy major, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭6 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 10, the G string at fret 7 and the high e string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 9, 10 | B♭, C♯, D |
| 5 (A) | 6, 9, 10 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 4 (D) | 7, 8, 11 | A, B♭, C♯ |
| 3 (G) | 7, 8, 11 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 2 (B) | 8, 10, 11 | G, A, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 9, 10, 11 | C♯, D, E♭ |
D gypsy major, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 7 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 10, the D string at fret 12 and the high e string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 10, 11 | C♯, D, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 9, 10, 12 | F♯, G, A |
| 4 (D) | 8, 11, 12 | B♭, C♯, D |
| 3 (G) | 8, 11, 12 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 2 (B) | 10, 11, 14 | A, B♭, C♯ |
| 1 (e) | 10, 11, 14 | D, E♭, F♯ |
D gypsy major, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 10 to fret 15, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 10, the D string at fret 12 and the B string at fret 15.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10, 11, 14 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 5 (A) | 10, 12, 13 | G, A, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 12, 13 | C♯, D, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 12, 14 | F♯, G, A |
| 2 (B) | 11, 14, 15 | B♭, C♯, D |
| 1 (e) | 11, 14, 15 | E♭, F♯, G |
D gypsy major, position 7 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭2 and runs from fret 11 to fret 17, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 12 and the B string at fret 15.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 14, 15 | E♭, F♯, G |
| 5 (A) | 12, 13, 16 | A, B♭, C♯ |
| 4 (D) | 12, 13, 16 | D, E♭, F♯ |
| 3 (G) | 12, 14, 15 | G, A, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 14, 15, 16 | C♯, D, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 14, 15, 17 | F♯, G, A |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
D gypsy major uses D, E♭, F♯, G, A, B♭, and C♯. The scale has a minor 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, augmented 5th, and major 7th. It is also called Byzantine.
D gypsy major works over D major and D 5th chords. The ♭2 and ♭6 create tension that resolves to the tonic. Try it over a D drone for a Middle Eastern sound.
D gypsy major raises the ♭7 of D phrygian dominant to a major 7th. This changes C to C♯, creating a leading tone. The rest of the scale remains the same.