A Enigmatic Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Double Drop D tuning — fretboard diagram
A Enigmatic in Double Drop D — Notes and Intervals
The A Enigmatic scale was invented as a musical puzzle and famously used by Giuseppe Verdi. On Guitar, the notes are A, Bb, C#, Eb, F, G, G#. It has an unstable and surreal sound because it lacks the traditional fourth and fifth degrees, creating a gliding effect that challenges the listener's expectations. Commonly used in Classical, Experimental, Film Scores. Notable players include Giuseppe Verdi, Igor Stravinsky. Not chord-specific — this is a melodic scale for creating surreal, non-functional passages. Use over sustained pedal tones or atonal contexts.
Notes: A, Bb, C#, Eb, F, G, G#
Intervals: 1P, 2m, 3M, 5d, 6m, 7m, 7M
Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 b5 b6 7
Formula: H-WH-W-W-W-H-H
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Double Drop D (D-A-D-G-B-D)
About Double Drop D Tuning
Double Drop D tuning (D-A-D-G-B-D) lowers both the 6th and 1st strings from E to D, creating a symmetrical frame of D notes around the standard middle four strings. This gives a distinctly resonant, jangly character that has been beloved in folk-rock and acoustic music since the late 1960s.
Neil Young used Double Drop D extensively — 'Cinnamon Girl' features its distinctive droning riff, and 'The Needle and the Damage Done' showcases its intimate fingerpicking potential. Jimmy Page used it on Led Zeppelin's 'Going to California'. Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' also employs this tuning. Because only two strings change (both by just one whole step), Double Drop D is one of the easiest alternate tunings to learn — most standard chord shapes on the inner four strings remain unchanged.
Notable artists: Neil Young, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Best for: Folk-rock songwriting, D-centric acoustic arrangements, droning fingerpicking patterns, and any song that benefits from rich D-string resonance on both outer strings
Musical Character
Invented as a musical puzzle — lacks the traditional 4th and 5th degrees, creating a gliding, rootless sensation. Verdi used it in his Ave Maria to challenge conventional harmony.
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- A Enigmatic in Standard Tuning
- A Enigmatic in Drop D
- A Enigmatic in DADGAD
- A Enigmatic in Open G
- A Enigmatic in Baritone (B Standard)
- A Enigmatic in 7-string
- A Enigmatic in 8-string
- A Enigmatic in Drop C
- A Enigmatic in Drop B
- A Enigmatic in Open D
- A Enigmatic in Half Step Down
- A Enigmatic in Open E
- A Enigmatic in Open A
- A Enigmatic in Open C