The augmented-second family: Hijaz, Sabah, Pireotiko — Greek Bouzouki

If a piece of music sounds unmistakably “Greek” or “Eastern” to a Western ear, the chances are it’s in Hijaz or one of its cousins. The augmented-second family contains the most recognizable, exotic-sounding dromoi — and they’re built around a single distinctive interval.

The augmented second

An augmented second is the interval of three half steps in a row, written between two letter names that are normally a whole step apart. On the keyboard, it’s a wider-than-usual gap that produces a tense, mournful sound — recognizable instantly once you’ve heard it.

In C Do , the augmented second from D to F♭ is three half steps. Or — more usefully — from D♭ to E:

D♭ to E = 3 half steps = augmented 2nd

We met the augmented second already in harmonic minor (between the ♭6 and 7) and in Niavent (twice in one scale). In the Hijaz family, the augmented second is the signature, placed strategically to create the distinctive Eastern flavor.

Hijaz (Χιτζάζ)

The most famous dromos. Used in countless tsifteteli pieces, in Middle Eastern-inflected laïkó, and in many older rebetika. Its formula:

1 – ♭2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7

In D Re (the most common Hijaz key on bouzouki):

D – E♭ – F♯ – G – A – B♭ – C

D Hijaz (♭2 and 3 shown enharmonically)

The augmented second sits between the ♭2 and 3 — E♭ to F♯ is three half steps. That single gap is what makes Hijaz sound Hijaz.

Compare it visually to D natural minor:

D natural minor (for contrast)

Same root, very different scale. Hijaz raises the ♭2 (technically a ♭2 in Hijaz, not a 2), raises the ♭3 to a 3, and keeps the ♭6 and ♭7. The result is bright on degrees 3 and 4, dark on degrees 1-2 and 5-7, with that distinctive augmented-2nd gap between them.

Sabah (Σαμπάχ)

Sabah — “morning” in Arabic — is the mournful cousin. It has a flatted 4th, which is unusual enough that it stands out:

1 – 2 – ♭3 – ♭4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7

In A La :

A – B – C – D♭ – E – F – G

A Sabah (♭4 shown enharmonically)

The strip shows C♯ — same key as D♭. The ♭4 sits unusually close to the ♭3, only one half step apart. That tight cluster gives Sabah a feeling of pinched-in, claustrophobic emotion. The augmented second in Sabah lies between the ♭4 and 5 (D♭ to E) — same interval as Hijaz, different position in the scale.

Sabah is rarer than Hijaz but unmistakable when used. It appears in melancholic Greek songs, sometimes in older taximia (improvised solo introductions) where the player wants to set a deeply sorrowful mood before launching into the main piece.

Pireotiko (Πειραιώτικο)

Pireotiko — “Piraeus-style” — is closely related to Hijaz. The scale notes are identical to Hijaz:

1 – ♭2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7

The difference is in conventions of use, exactly as with Ousak versus Kiourdi:

Pireotiko emphasizes the ♭2 → 1 cadence — descending into the tonic from above by half step. Strong, dark resolution.
It’s strongly associated with the Piraeus rebetiko school — the rougher, more underground style of the 1920s-30s.
Melodically it tends toward narrower range and more chromatic motion than Hijaz proper.

For our purposes, Pireotiko is “Hijaz played with a Piraeus rebetiko sensibility.” Recognizing it requires listening to a lot of period recordings.

The augmented second on the bouzouki

When you play an augmented second on a CFAD bouzouki, the physical fingering can be awkward — three frets between two adjacent notes is a stretch on a single string. The traditional solution is to place the two notes on adjacent courses rather than on a single course, using the open-string and adjacent-string relationships to make the interval playable without an uncomfortable stretch.

This is one of several practical reasons that Greek players developed specific position-based fingerings for Hijaz scales and arpeggios. Standard scale exercises on bouzouki almost always begin by training the hand for these augmented-second jumps.

Recap

The augmented-second family of dromoi is defined by the presence of a three-half-step gap — the signature “Eastern” sound.
Hijaz (♭2, 3, ♭6, ♭7) is the most common, used widely in laïkó and tsifteteli.
Sabah (♭4) is more mournful, less common, but unmistakable.
Pireotiko has the same notes as Hijaz but with Piraeus-style cadential conventions.
On the fretted bouzouki, augmented-second intervals are often played by using adjacent courses rather than a single string.