Guitar scale · exotic
Ab Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale
Mode 7 of Double Harmonic Major: Locrian with a doubly flattened 3rd and a doubly flattened 7th.
Tap any note to hear it.
Ab 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.
e|-----------------------------4-5-6-| B|-------------------------5-6-------| G|---------------------6-7-----------| D|---------------6-7-8---------------| A|-------4-5-7-8---------------------| E|-4-5-6-----------------------------|
e|--------------------------------6-9-10-| B|---------------------------9-10--------| G|------------------6-7-9-10-------------| D|------------6-7-8----------------------| A|--------7-8----------------------------| E|-6-9-10--------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------9-10-12-| B|------------------------------9-10-11---------| G|-------------------------9-10-----------------| D|-----------------8-11-12----------------------| A|---------8-11-12------------------------------| E|-9-10-12--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-| B|-------------------------------------14-15-------| G|----------------------------13-14-15-------------| D|----------------11-12-14-15----------------------| A|-------11-12-13----------------------------------| E|-12-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-16-17-| B|----------------------------------14-15-17----------| G|-------------------------13-14-15-------------------| D|-------------------14-15----------------------------| A|----------13-16-17----------------------------------| E|-13-16-17-------------------------------------------|
How to play Ab Locrian bb3 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 bb3 bb7 is also written G# Locrian bb3 bb7: G# A Bb 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
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ab |
| ♭2 | A |
| 𝄫3 | Bb |
| 4 | Db |
| ♭5 | D |
| ♭6 | Fb |
| 𝄫7 | F |
Chords in Ab 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 Ab Locrian bb3 bb7; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II | A | Amaj7 | Supertonic |
| III | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Mediant |
| iv | Dbm | — | Subdominant |
| ♭v | Dm | Dm(maj7) | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| VII+ | Faug | Fmaj7#5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Ab Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale?
- The Ab Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale has 7 notes: Ab, A, Bb, Db, D, Fb, F.
- What chords are in the Ab Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale?
- The chords of Ab Locrian bb3 bb7 are A (♭II), Bb (III), Dbm (iv), Dm (♭v), Faug (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 Ab Locrian bb3 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.