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Guitar scale · exotic

Ab Prometheus Scale

Six-note scale 1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7. Also called the mystic scale.

Notes AbBbCDFGb
Formula 1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7
Steps W W W W+H H W
Mood Mystic, Floating, Colourful
Heard in Modern Classical, Exotic Colour

Interactive scale diagram

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

How to play Ab Prometheus 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, ♭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.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 Ab
2 Bb
3 C
♯4 D
6 F
♭7 Gb

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

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Questions

What notes are in the Ab Prometheus Scale?
The Ab Prometheus Scale has 6 notes: Ab, Bb, C, D, F, Gb.
What is the formula of the prometheus scale?
1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W W W+H H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Ab Prometheus 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.

Prometheus Scale in every key

More scales in Ab