A Flamenco Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Baritone (B Standard) tuning — fretboard diagram
A Flamenco in Baritone (B Standard) — Notes and Intervals
The A Flamenco scale is the emotional heart of Spanish music. On Guitar, the notes are A, Bb, C, C#, D#, E, G. Closely related to the Phrygian system, it is designed to convey deep pathos, rhythmic intensity, and the passionate duende characteristic of traditional guitar styles. Commonly used in Flamenco, Latin, Classical Guitar, World. Notable players include Paco de Lucia, Tomatito, Vicente Amigo, Al Di Meola. Use over flamenco chord progressions (Am-G-F-E type). The scale supports both the melancholic phrygian passages and the explosive major-chord rasgueados.
Notes: A, Bb, C, C#, D#, E, G
Intervals: 1P, 2m, 3m, 3M, 4A, 5P, 7m
Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 #5 6 b7
Formula: H-W-H-W-H-WH-W
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Baritone (B Standard) (B-E-A-D-F#-B)
About Baritone (B Standard) Tuning
The baritone guitar is tuned a perfect fourth lower than standard guitar (B-E-A-D-F#-B), producing a distinctly beefy tone with serious low-end depth that sits perfectly between guitar and bass. Its rich, dark voice has made it a secret weapon in film scoring, ambient music, and moody songwriting where you need that unmistakable low-end warmth without losing clarity.
Unlike simply tuning a standard guitar down (which causes floppy strings and muddy tone), the baritone guitar uses a longer scale length (typically 27"-30") designed specifically for lower tunings. This gives each note clarity and definition even in the lowest register. Session musicians, film composers, and bedroom producers alike reach for the baritone when they need dark, atmospheric textures, doom-laden riffs, or simply a different sonic palette that standard guitar can't deliver.
Notable artists: Pat Metheny, Nels Cline, Brian Setzer, Baritone session players in Nashville
Best for: Moody songwriting, film scoring, ambient textures, doom metal, and any production that needs low-end depth with clarity
Musical Character
Closely related to the Phrygian system but with alterations that create the specific emotional palette of flamenco — deep pathos, rhythmic intensity, and duende (the ineffable spirit of flamenco).