Guitar scale · exotic
Bb Ultraphrygian Scale
Mode 3 of Double Harmonic Major: Phrygian with a lowered 4th and a doubly flattened 7th (𝄫7).
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Ultraphrygian Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|--------------------------------6-7-9-10-| B|----------------------------7-8----------| G|---------------------6-7-10--------------| D|-----------------8-9---------------------| A|----------8-9-10-------------------------| E|-6-7-9-10--------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------9-10-| B|--------------------------------11-12------| G|-----------------------10-11-12------------| D|-------------8-9-11-12---------------------| A|------8-9-10-------------------------------| E|-9-10--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-13-14-| B|----------------------------------11-12-14----------| G|-------------------------10-11-12-------------------| D|-------------------11-12----------------------------| A|----------10-13-14----------------------------------| E|-10-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------14-15----------| G|-------------------------------15-16----------------| D|----------------------15-16-17----------------------| A|----------13-14-16-17-------------------------------| E|-13-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-18-19-| B|-------------------------------------18-19----------| G|-------------------------15-16-18-19----------------| D|----------------15-16-17----------------------------| A|----------16-17-------------------------------------| E|-15-18-19-------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Ultraphrygian 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 Ultraphrygian is also written A# Ultraphrygian: 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
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb |
| ♭2 | Cb |
| ♭3 | Db |
| ♭4 | D |
| 5 | F |
| ♭6 | Gb |
| 𝄫7 | G |
Chords in Bb Ultraphrygian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Ultraphrygian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bbm | — | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Cbm | Cbm(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♭III | — | — | Mediant |
| ♭IV+ | Daug | Dmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Gb | Gbmaj7 | Submediant |
| VII | G | Gmaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Ultraphrygian Scale?
- The Bb Ultraphrygian Scale has 7 notes: Bb, Cb, Db, D, F, Gb, G.
- What chords are in the Bb Ultraphrygian Scale?
- The chords of Bb Ultraphrygian are Bbm (i), Cbm (♭ii), Daug (♭IV+), Gb (♭VI), G (VII).
- What is the formula of the ultraphrygian scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 5 ♭6 𝄫7, which is the step pattern H W H W+H H H W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Ultraphrygian 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.