The A Indian Scale for Guitar
Only five notes make the A Indian scale: A, Bb, D, E and F. Two half steps, A to Bb and E to F, give it a dark, meditative colour.
The open A string is the root, which suits the drone-like playing this scale invites, and the 5th fret of the low E string gives a second root. All five notes belong to F major, though the sound is anything but major.
Play the A indian scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the A indian scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Bb | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| D | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| E | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| F | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
Structure
A indian scale notes:
How the indian scale is built:
The indian scale is built from the degrees 1 b2 4 5 b6, which gives the step pattern H-WW-W-H-WW (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 1, 5, 7, 8. That makes it a 5-note scale.
A Indian Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (A)
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
Other scales on A
Same root, different notes. Play them back to back to hear what changes.
- A Japanese: 2 instead of b2
- A Phrygian: adds the b3 and b7
- A Bizantine: adds the 3 and 7
- A Phrygian Dominant: adds the 3 and b7
The indian scale in other keys
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Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
