Guitar scale · altered diminished
C Ultralocrian Scale
Mode 7 of Harmonic Minor: Locrian with a doubly flattened 7th (𝄫7). Every note except the root is lowered, and it holds every tone of a diminished 7th chord.
Tap any note to hear it.
C Ultralocrian 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|-------------------------------------8-9-11-12-| B|--------------------------------9-10-----------| G|-------------------------8-9-11----------------| D|-------------------10-11-----------------------| A|-----------9-11-12-----------------------------| E|-8-9-11-12-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------13-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-14----------------| D|----------------10-11-13-14-------------------------| A|----------11-12-------------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-16-| B|----------------------------------13-14-16----------| G|----------------------------13-14-------------------| D|-------------------13-14-16-------------------------| A|----------12-15-16----------------------------------| E|-12-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-| B|----------------------------------16-17-19-------| G|----------------------------17-18----------------| D|-------------------16-18-19----------------------| A|-------15-16-18-19-------------------------------| E|-16-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-20-21-| B|-------------------------------------19-21----------| G|-------------------------17-18-20-21----------------| D|-------------------18-19----------------------------| A|----------18-19-21----------------------------------| E|-17-20-21-------------------------------------------|
How to play C Ultralocrian on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C |
| ♭2 | Db |
| ♭3 | Eb |
| ♭4 | Fb |
| ♭5 | Gb |
| ♭6 | Ab |
| 𝄫7 | A |
Chords in C Ultralocrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C Ultralocrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | Cdim | Cdim7 | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Dbm | Dbm(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♭iii° | Ebdim | Ebm7b5 | Mediant |
| ♭IV+ | Fbaug | Fbmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| ♭v | Gbm | Gbm7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Ab | Ab7 | Submediant |
| VII | A | Amaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C Ultralocrian anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Ultralocrian Scale?
- The C Ultralocrian Scale has 7 notes: C, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, Ab, A.
- What chords are in the C Ultralocrian Scale?
- The chords of C Ultralocrian are Cdim (i°), Dbm (♭ii), Ebdim (♭iii°), Fbaug (♭IV+), Gbm (♭v), Ab (♭VI), A (VII).
- What is the formula of the ultralocrian scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 𝄫7, which is the step pattern H W H W W H W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C Ultralocrian on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.