Ab Hungarian Minor, Step by Step
Ab, Bb, Cb, D, Eb, Fb and G are the notes of the Ab Gipsy Hungarian scale. Cb and Fb look odd but they only mean B and E, and they keep the letters in order.
Place the root on the 4th fret of the low E string, or the 11th fret of the A string. Some players prefer to read this key as G# Hungarian minor, which has the same sound.
Play the Ab gipsy hungarian scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the Ab gipsy hungarian scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ab | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Bb | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| Cb | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| D | #4 | Tritone | 6 |
| Eb | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| Fb | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| G | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
Ab gipsy hungarian scale notes:
How the gipsy hungarian scale is built:
The gipsy hungarian scale is built from the degrees 1 2 b3 #4 5 b6 7, which gives the step pattern W-H-W+H-H-H-W+H-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is also known as Hungarian Minor.
Ab Gipsy Hungarian Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (G)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the Ab gipsy hungarian scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Scales with the same notes as Ab Gipsy Hungarian
These scales use exactly the same notes. Each one starts somewhere else, so the root and the mood change.
| Scale | Starts on degree | Learn the scale |
|---|---|---|
| Eb Bizantine | 5 | Bizantine Scale |
Other scales on Ab
Same root, different notes. Play them back to back to hear what changes.
- Ab Persian: shares 4 notes
- Ab Bizantine: shares 4 notes
- Ab Dorian #4: shares 5 notes
- Ab Harmonic Minor: 4 instead of #4
The gipsy hungarian scale in other keys
Keep learning
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
