Gypsy Scale

[MinorSeventhMan]

<span style='font-family:Courier'>Hi,

I am trying to make a nice easy movable gypsy scale based on the basic hungarian gypsy scale of 1,2,b3,#4,5,b6,7

So key of C would look like this C D D# F# G G# B C

Here are a couple of patterns I have worked out. I am trying to come with some good fingering for them.

1st pattern
------------- fret# -------------
C G D &#124; 5 1 1 1 &#124;
&#124; G D# &#124; 6 &#124; 2 2 &#124;
D &#124; &#124; B 7 2 &#124; &#124; 2
D# &#124; &#124; C 8 3 &#124; &#124; 3
&#124; B F# &#124; 9 &#124; 3 3 &#124;
&#124; C G &#124; 10 &#124; 4 3 &#124;
F# &#124; G# &#124; 11 4 &#124; 4 &#124;


2nd pattern
------------- fret# -------------
&#124; F# &#124; G# 4 &#124; 1 &#124; 1
C G D &#124; 5 1 2 1 &#124;
&#124; G# D# &#124; 6 &#124; 3 2 &#124;
D &#124; &#124; B 7 2 &#124; &#124; 2
D# &#124; &#124; C 8 3 &#124; &#124; 3
&#124; B F# &#124; 9 &#124; 3 3 &#124;
&#124; C G &#124; 10 &#124; 4 4 &#124;

I don't like these first two because each has one string that has 5 notes, which makes the fingering tricky, but this following one seems a little tricky to remember because the pattern is all over the place.

3rd possition
------------- fret# -------------
&#124; &#124; C G 3 &#124; &#124; 1 1
&#124; F# &#124; G# 4 &#124; 1 &#124; 2
C G D &#124; 5 1 2 2 &#124;
&#124; G# D# &#124; 6 &#124; 3 3 &#124;
D &#124; &#124; B 7 2 &#124; &#124; 3
D# &#124; &#124; C 8 3 &#124; &#124; 4
&#124; B F# &#124; 2 &#124; 4 4 &#124;

Any suggestions?

m7Man</span>

[JimD]

Two suggestions.

First, the fingering:

If you start with your 2nd finger on C (on the G strings), you get a fingering that has the added benefit of the leading tone (B) below the low tonic:

------------------------------------------------2--3--4--------
---------------------------------2--3--5--6-------------------
----------------------4--5--6----------------------------------
------(4)--5--7--8---------------------------------------------

Fingering it this way, you'll have only one shift.

My other suggestion is about naming the pitches. Don't fall into the falacy of calling the b3 in a C scale "D#" and the b6, "G#".

The correct spelling for the scale is C D Eb F# G Ab B C.

In any seven note scale you should have only one version of each letter name. So D--Eb rather than D--D# and G--Ab rather than G--G#.

You may think this is trivial and pedantic -- but doing it correctly will make things much easier as you move through different keys and more complex relationships