A Egyptian Guitar Scale
Guitar scale — fretboard diagram
A Egyptian Scale — Notes and Intervals
The A Egyptian scale, also known as the Suspended Pentatonic, is widely used in Middle Eastern and African musical traditions. On Guitar, it contains the notes A, B, D, E, G. It has a stable, folk-like quality and is often used in wind chime tunings because of its inherently calm and balanced sound. Commonly used in Middle Eastern, World, Ambient, Film Scores. Notable players include Oud masters, Peter Gabriel. Use over sus2, sus4, power chords. The absence of 3rd and 7th makes it harmonically ambiguous — works over major or minor contexts.
Notes: A, B, D, E, G
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 4P, 5P, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 3 4 b5
Formula: W-WH-W-WH-W
Number of notes: 5
How to Play A Egyptian on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 5 on the 6th (low E) to find your A root note. With only 5 notes, this scale fits comfortably in a two-notes-per-string pattern across all six strings. Focus on learning a single box shape first before connecting positions.
The A Egyptian scale uses no sharps or flats, consisting entirely of natural notes. This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.
Practice Routine
Practice the A Egyptian scale by playing it ascending with one rhythmic feel (straight eighth notes) and descending with another (swing or triplets) at 80 BPM. This dual approach trains both technical accuracy and rhythmic versatility with the 5 notes of the scale.
This scale works well over simple power chord progressions or a 12-bar blues in A. Try a A5 - E5 - G5 progression.
Guitar Tips
On guitar, try playing the A Egyptian scale using legato technique (hammer-ons and pull-offs) to develop a smooth, connected sound. This is particularly effective for pentatonic scale runs.
The A Egyptian scale contains 5 notes (A, B, D, E, G). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for A Egyptian
The A Egyptian scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 5-note pentatonic scale, 2-notes-per-string patterns are the most ergonomic way to traverse the fretboard. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.
Explore A Egyptian Further
- Harmonize the A Egyptian scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- A Egyptian on Ukulele
- A Egyptian on Bass
- A Egyptian on Piano
Explore A Egyptian in Other Tunings
- A Egyptian in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- A Egyptian in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- A Egyptian in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- A Egyptian in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- A Egyptian in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- A Egyptian in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- A Egyptian in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- A Egyptian in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- A Egyptian in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- A Egyptian in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- A Egyptian in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- A Egyptian in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- A Egyptian in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- A Egyptian in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)