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Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic

Ab Locrian bb7 Scale

Mode 7 of Harmonic Major: Locrian with a doubly flattened 7th (𝄫7).

Notes AbACbDbDFbF
Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 𝄫7
Steps H W W H W H W+H
Mood Unstable, Dark, Dissonant
Heard in Modal Improvisation

Interactive scale diagram

Ab Locrian bb7 Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

Ab Locrian bb7 Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 4–8
e|-----------------------------4-5-7-|
B|-------------------------5-6-------|
G|-------------------4-6-7-----------|
D|---------------6-7-----------------|
A|-------4-5-7-8---------------------|
E|-4-5-7-----------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 6–10
e|--------------------------------7-9-10-|
B|---------------------------9-10--------|
G|------------------6-7-9-10-------------|
D|------------6-7-9----------------------|
A|--------7-8----------------------------|
E|-7-9-10--------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 8–12
e|--------------------------------------9-10-12-|
B|------------------------------9-10-12---------|
G|-------------------------9-10-----------------|
D|-----------------9-11-12----------------------|
A|---------8-11-12------------------------------|
E|-9-10-12--------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 11–15
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-|
B|----------------------------------12-14-15-------|
G|----------------------------13-14----------------|
D|----------------11-12-14-15----------------------|
A|-------11-12-14----------------------------------|
E|-12-13-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------13-16-17-|
B|----------------------------------14-15-17----------|
G|-------------------------13-14-16-------------------|
D|-------------------14-15----------------------------|
A|----------14-16-17----------------------------------|
E|-13-16-17-------------------------------------------|

How to play Ab Locrian bb7 on guitar

Find the root first: Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Ab on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, ♭5, 𝄫7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.

Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 4–8. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.

Ab Locrian bb7 is also written G# Locrian bb7: G# A B C# D E F. The frets are the same; under that name every note keeps its own letter, with no double sharps or flats.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 Ab
♭2 A
♭3 Cb
4 Db
♭5 D
♭6 Fb
𝄫7 F

Chords in Ab Locrian bb7

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Ab Locrian bb7; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
i° Abdim Abdim7 Tonic
♭II A Amaj7 Supertonic
♭iii° Cbdim Cbm7b5 Mediant
iv Dbm Dbm7 Subdominant
♭v Dm Dm(maj7) Dominant
♭VI Fb Fb7 Submediant
VII+ Faug Fmaj7#5 Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the Ab Locrian bb7 Scale?
The Ab Locrian bb7 Scale has 7 notes: Ab, A, Cb, Db, D, Fb, F.
What chords are in the Ab Locrian bb7 Scale?
The chords of Ab Locrian bb7 are Abdim (i°), A (♭II), Cbdim (♭iii°), Dbm (iv), Dm (♭v), Fb (♭VI), Faug (VII+).
What is the formula of the locrian bb7 scale?
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 𝄫7, which is the step pattern H W W H W H W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Ab Locrian bb7 on the guitar?
The root Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 4–8, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Locrian bb7 Scale in every key

More scales in Ab