Double Harmonic Major Scale
Also known as Byzantine Scale, Arabic Scale, Maqam Hijaz Kar, Gypsy Major and Double Harmonic Scale.
What Is the Double Harmonic Major Scale?
The quintessential Byzantine / Arabic sound — a major scale flanked by two augmented seconds (♭2→3 and ♭6→7) for a richly ornamented, ancient character. Also known as the Arabic scale and Maqam Hijaz Kar.
Double harmonic major — widely known as the Byzantine scale or Arabic scale, and as Maqam Hijaz Kar in Middle-Eastern theory — is a major scale with a flattened 2nd and flattened 6th. Those two alterations create a pair of augmented seconds bracketing the tonic region, which is what gives the scale its instantly recognizable, ornamented Eastern color.
Unlike phrygian dominant (which has a flat 7th) this scale keeps the leading-tone 7th, so it carries a strong pull back to the tonic on top of its exotic interior. It appears across Middle-Eastern, Balkan, Indian, and flamenco-adjacent traditions, and Western composers have used it for centuries to evoke "the East."
Formula & Construction
The Double Harmonic Major Scale follows the scale-degree formula 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7, which in semitones from the root is 0 – 1 – 4 – 5 – 7 – 8 – 11. Starting on C that spells C – D♭ – E – F – G – A♭ – B and returns to C on top.
| Degree | Semitones | Note in C |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | C |
| ♭2 | 1 | D♭ |
| 3 | 4 | E |
| 4 | 5 | F |
| 5 | 7 | G |
| ♭6 | 8 | A♭ |
| 7 | 11 | B |
Character & Mood
The quintessential Byzantine / Arabic sound — a major scale flanked by two augmented seconds (♭2→3 and ♭6→7) for a richly ornamented, ancient character. Also known as the Arabic scale and Maqam Hijaz Kar.
How It Is Built
A major scale with both the 2nd and the 6th degrees flattened. Like the Hungarian minor it contains two augmented seconds (♭2 to 3, and ♭6 to 7), but here they sit around a major 3rd — the defining "Byzantine" sound.
The Double Harmonic Major Scale in All 12 Keys
Below is the Double Harmonic Major Scale written out in every key, ascending one octave. Each key uses its correct letter-name spelling (every letter A–G appears once), so the accidentals match how the scale is properly notated.
| Key | Notes (ascending) |
|---|---|
| C | C · D♭ · E · F · G · A♭ · B |
| D♭ | D♭ · E♭♭ · F · G♭ · A♭ · B♭♭ · C |
| D | D · E♭ · F♯ · G · A · B♭ · C♯ |
| E♭ | E♭ · F♭ · G · A♭ · B♭ · C♭ · D |
| E | E · F · G♯ · A · B · C · D♯ |
| F | F · G♭ · A · B♭ · C · D♭ · E |
| F♯ | F♯ · G · A♯ · B · C♯ · D · E♯ |
| G | G · A♭ · B · C · D · E♭ · F♯ |
| A♭ | A♭ · B♭♭ · C · D♭ · E♭ · F♭ · G |
| A | A · B♭ · C♯ · D · E · F · G♯ |
| B♭ | B♭ · C♭ · D · E♭ · F · G♭ · A |
| B | B · C · D♯ · E · F♯ · G · A♯ |
How to Play It — Fingering
Right hand
Right hand: thumb on the root, finger 2 on the ♭2, then the thumb tucks under to land 3 on the major 3rd (the first augmented-second leap). A workable C pattern is 1-2-3 1-2-3 with the leading 7th taken by 3 before the thumb closes the octave. Practise the ♭2→3 and ♭6→7 jumps in isolation.
Left hand
Left hand: finger 5 on the root, descending fingers, with 3 crossing over after the 4th degree. Because the scale keeps a major 7th, the top of the scale fingers much like a major scale — it is the lower ♭2 and the ♭6 that need the extra attention.
Where It Is Used
The Double Harmonic Major Scale turns up across Middle-Eastern & Arabic (Maqam Hijaz Kar), Byzantine & Balkan, Flamenco-adjacent and more. A few well-known examples often associated with this sound:
- Symphony No. 5 (excerpts) — Dmitri Shostakovich · Drew on the double-harmonic color for exotic effect.
- Misirlou — Traditional (popularized by Dick Dale) · Often analyzed through the double-harmonic / Hijaz lens.
- Scheherazade — Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov · Orientalist writing built on scales of this family.
References list titles and composers/artists only, as a guide to the scale’s characteristic sound.