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Guitar scale · exotic

Bb Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale

Mode 7 of Double Harmonic Major: Locrian with a doubly flattened 3rd and a doubly flattened 7th.

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

Interactive scale diagram

Bb Locrian bb3 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.

Bb Locrian bb3 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 6–10
e|-------------------------------6-7-8-|
B|---------------------------7-8-------|
G|-----------------------8-9-----------|
D|----------------8-9-10---------------|
A|-------6-7-9-10----------------------|
E|-6-7-8-------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 8–12
e|-------------------------------------8-11-12-|
B|-------------------------------11-12---------|
G|---------------------8-9-11-12---------------|
D|--------------8-9-10-------------------------|
A|---------9-10--------------------------------|
E|-8-11-12-------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-|
B|----------------------------------11-12-13----------|
G|----------------------------11-12-------------------|
D|-------------------10-13-14-------------------------|
A|----------10-13-14----------------------------------|
E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-|
B|-------------------------------------16-17-------|
G|----------------------------15-16-17-------------|
D|----------------13-14-16-17----------------------|
A|-------13-14-15----------------------------------|
E|-14-15-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 15–19
e|-------------------------------------------15-18-19-|
B|----------------------------------16-17-19----------|
G|-------------------------15-16-17-------------------|
D|-------------------16-17----------------------------|
A|----------15-18-19----------------------------------|
E|-15-18-19-------------------------------------------|

How to play Bb Locrian bb3 bb7 on guitar

Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb 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 6–10. 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.

Bb Locrian bb3 bb7 is also written A# Locrian bb3 bb7: A# B C D# E F# G. The frets are the same; under that name every note keeps its own letter, with no double sharps or flats.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 Bb
♭2 Cb
𝄫3 C
4 Eb
♭5 Fb
♭6 Gb
𝄫7 G

Chords in Bb Locrian bb3 bb7

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Locrian bb3 bb7; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I — — Tonic
♭II Cb Cbmaj7 Supertonic
III C Cmaj7 Mediant
iv Ebm — Subdominant
♭v Fbm Fbm(maj7) Dominant
♭VI — — Submediant
VII+ Gaug Gmaj7#5 Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the Bb Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale?
The Bb Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale has 7 notes: Bb, Cb, C, Eb, Fb, Gb, G.
What chords are in the Bb Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale?
The chords of Bb Locrian bb3 bb7 are Cb (♭II), C (III), Ebm (iv), Fbm (♭v), Gaug (VII+).
What is the formula of the locrian bb3 bb7 scale?
1 ♭2 𝄫3 4 ♭5 ♭6 𝄫7, which is the step pattern H H W+H H W H W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Bb Locrian bb3 bb7 on the guitar?
The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale in every key

More scales in Bb