Arabic Scale

Tonic

Scale type

Degrees
Steps
Semitones

Arabic scale notes in any key: the double harmonic major scale and Phrygian dominant, with the step pattern, staff, keyboard and sound. Free.

About the Arabic Scale

The arabic scale is a seven-note scale that this free tool plays and displays in your browser. The name is used for more than one scale, so the scale explorer offers the two most common: double harmonic major, also called the Byzantine scale, and Phrygian dominant. Pick a tonic from 17 spellings and a scale type, and the page shows the degrees, steps and semitones, a treble staff and a piano keyboard. Three playback buttons sound the scale one octave from middle C.

The tool runs in the web browser. It is free and needs no sign-up. Nothing is uploaded, and the tool sets no cookies. Sound is synthesised live, so no audio files are downloaded. Both scales are equal-tempered Western scales, which makes them an approximation of Arabic music rather than an exact copy.

How to use the arabic scale

Open the page. It opens in C with Double harmonic major selected.
Open the Tonic menu and choose one of the 17 spellings, such as E♭ or F♯.
Open the Scale type menu and choose Double harmonic major or Phrygian dominant.
Click ▶ Ascending, ▶ Descending or ▶ Up and down to hear the scale one octave from middle C. Browsers keep sound off until you first click, touch or press a key on the page, so the first press may start the audio.
Watch the note chips under the scale name. Each one lights up as its note sounds.
Read the small table. Degrees shows the scale numbers, Steps shows W, H or W+H, and Semitones shows the size of each step and the number of notes per octave.
Check the treble staff and the two-octave piano keyboard, where the tonic is highlighted. Click any key to hear it.
Scroll to the Chords built on each degree table. It appears because both scales have seven notes.

The address bar keeps the chosen tonic and scale type, so copying the link lets you or someone else reopen the same scale. If a spelling would need triple accidentals, no staff is drawn, and a note suggests the enharmonic tonic, such as B♭ instead of A♯.

What is the arabic scale#

The arabic scale has no single fixed set of notes. The name is used for more than one seven-note scale. The most common meaning is the double harmonic major scale, also called the Byzantine scale. It is the default type in the scale explorer.

Its pattern of steps is half, augmented second, half, whole, half, augmented second, half. In semitones that is 1-3-1-2-1-3-1, which adds up to 12, the full octave. The tool uses equal temperament with A4 = 440 Hz, so each semitone is the same fixed size on the keyboard.

What is the difference between the double harmonic scale and Phrygian dominant#

The two scales are easy to confuse. Both are called the Arabic scale in some sources (Phrygian dominant is also known as the Hijaz scale), and when started on C they share the notes D♭, E, F, G and A♭. The difference is the seventh note. Double harmonic major ends on B, a half step below the octave, while Phrygian dominant ends on B♭, a whole step below it.

That change alters the pattern. Double harmonic major has two augmented seconds, between D♭ and E and between A♭ and B. Phrygian dominant has only one, between D♭ and E. Phrygian dominant is also the fifth mode of harmonic minor. The notes of F harmonic minor, started on C, give the same scale.

Arabic scale in every key#

Notes of each scale from twelve common tonics, written with one letter per degree where the scale has seven notes (the explorer above gives the other spellings and the staff).

Double harmonic major (Arabic) from	Notes
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♯

Phrygian dominant from	Notes
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

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes of the arabic scale in C?

For the double harmonic major scale, the notes are C D♭ E F G A♭ B. Its degrees are 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7. If you choose Phrygian dominant instead, the last note becomes B♭.

What is the formula of the double harmonic scale?

The formula is H, W+H, H, W, H, W+H, H, where H is a half step and W is a whole step. In semitones it is 1-3-1-2-1-3-1. The total is 12 semitones, so the scale fits exactly into one octave.

Why does the arabic scale sound arabic?

The main reason is the augmented second, a gap of three semitones. The natural major and minor scales have no gap that size, and the double harmonic scale has two of them, which gives it its characteristic sound. The scale is a Western approximation, not a copy of any one musical tradition.

Is the arabic scale the same as the maqam?

No. Arabic music uses maqamat, which can include intervals such as quarter tones that a 12-note keyboard cannot play. The scales on this page are equal-tempered Western approximations. They show the shape of a sound that is related to maqam, but they do not reproduce a maqam exactly.

What keys do these scales work in?

The same shapes move to other tonics. Double harmonic major in D is D E♭ F♯ G A B♭ C♯. Phrygian dominant in E is E F G♯ A B C D. Choose these tonics in the Tonic menu to hear them.

Why is there no staff for some tonics?

Some spellings would need triple sharps or triple flats to fit the staff correctly. In those cases the tool does not draw the staff and suggests an enharmonic tonic that is easier to read. For example, it suggests B♭ instead of A♯.

Updated October 2026