F Egyptian Ukulele Scale
Ukulele scale — fretboard diagram
F Egyptian Scale — Notes and Intervals
The F Egyptian scale, also known as the Suspended Pentatonic, is widely used in Middle Eastern and African musical traditions. On Ukulele, it contains the notes F, G, Bb, C, Eb. 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: F, G, Bb, C, Eb
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 F Egyptian on Ukulele
On ukulele, find F on the fret 5 area, and work through the scale within a four-fret span. With 5 notes, this scale fits neatly on the ukulele's short fretboard without requiring large stretches.
The F Egyptian scale contains 2 flats (Bb, Eb). This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.
Practice Routine
Practice the F 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 F. Try a F5 - C5 - Eb5 progression.
Ukulele Tips
The compact fretboard of the ukulele makes the F Egyptian scale easy to visualize in a single position. Use this to your advantage by memorizing the scale shape relative to chord shapes you already know.
The F Egyptian scale contains 5 notes (F, G, Bb, C, Eb). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Ukulele with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for F Egyptian
The F 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 F Egyptian Further
- Harmonize the F Egyptian scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- F Egyptian on Guitar
- F Egyptian on Bass
- F Egyptian on Piano