D# Egyptian Guitar Scale — 8-string
Guitar scale in 8-string tuning — fretboard diagram
D# Egyptian in 8-string — Notes and Intervals
The D# Egyptian scale, also known as the Suspended Pentatonic, is widely used in Middle Eastern and African musical traditions. On Guitar, it contains the notes D#, F, G#, A#, C#. 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: D#, F, G#, A#, C#
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 4P, 5P, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 3 4 b5
Formula: W-WH-W-WH-W
Number of notes: 5
Tuning: 8-string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E)
About 8-string Tuning
The 8-string guitar adds both a low B and a low F# string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E), pushing the instrument's range almost into bass guitar territory. This massive tonal range has become the weapon of choice for djent, progressive metal, and experimental composers who need bone-crushing low-end and soaring highs in a single instrument.
With artists like Tosin Abasi, Meshuggah, and After the Burial leading the charge, the 8-string guitar has redefined what's possible in modern heavy music. The low F# string delivers subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest, while the upper strings maintain standard guitar voicings for leads and clean passages. Extended-range compositions often exploit the full span of the instrument, creating a wall of sound that covers bass, rhythm, and lead guitar roles simultaneously.
Notable artists: Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders, After the Burial, Intervals, Monuments
Best for: Djent polyrhythms, extended-range metal riffs, experimental compositions, and one-instrument arrangements spanning bass to lead
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D# Egyptian in Standard Tuning
- D# Egyptian in Drop D
- D# Egyptian in DADGAD
- D# Egyptian in Open G
- D# Egyptian in Baritone (B Standard)
- D# Egyptian in 7-string
- D# Egyptian in Drop C
- D# Egyptian in Drop B
- D# Egyptian in Open D
- D# Egyptian in Half Step Down
- D# Egyptian in Open E
- D# Egyptian in Open A
- D# Egyptian in Double Drop D
- D# Egyptian in Open C