Guitar scale · altered diminished
Ab 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.
Ab 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|-----------------------------4-5-7-8-| B|-------------------------5-6---------| G|-------------------4-5-7-------------| D|---------------6-7-------------------| A|---------5-7-8-----------------------| E|-4-5-7-8-----------------------------|
e|---------------------------------7-8-10-| B|----------------------------9-10--------| G|---------------------7-9-10-------------| D|------------6-7-9-10--------------------| A|--------7-8-----------------------------| E|-7-8-10---------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------8-10-12-| B|------------------------------9-10-12---------| G|-------------------------9-10-----------------| D|-----------------9-10-12----------------------| A|---------8-11-12------------------------------| E|-8-10-12--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-| B|----------------------------------12-13-15-------| G|----------------------------13-14----------------| D|-------------------12-14-15----------------------| A|-------11-12-14-15-------------------------------| E|-12-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------15-17----------| G|-------------------------13-14-16-17----------------| D|-------------------14-15----------------------------| A|----------14-15-17----------------------------------| E|-13-16-17-------------------------------------------|
How to play Ab Ultralocrian 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 Ultralocrian is also written G# Ultralocrian: G# A B 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 | Cb |
| ♭4 | C |
| ♭5 | D |
| ♭6 | Fb |
| 𝄫7 | F |
Chords in Ab Ultralocrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Ab Ultralocrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | Abdim | Abdim7 | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Am | Am(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♭iii° | Cbdim | Cbm7b5 | Mediant |
| ♭IV+ | Caug | Cmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| ♭v | Dm | Dm7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Fb | Fb7 | Submediant |
| VII | F | Fmaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise Ab 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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Questions
- What notes are in the Ab Ultralocrian Scale?
- The Ab Ultralocrian Scale has 7 notes: Ab, A, Cb, C, D, Fb, F.
- What chords are in the Ab Ultralocrian Scale?
- The chords of Ab Ultralocrian are Abdim (i°), Am (♭ii), Cbdim (♭iii°), Caug (♭IV+), Dm (♭v), Fb (♭VI), F (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 Ab Ultralocrian 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.