Guitar scale · exotic
A 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.
A 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|-----------------------------5-6-7-| B|-------------------------6-7-------| G|---------------------7-8-----------| D|---------------7-8-9---------------| A|-------5-6-8-9---------------------| E|-5-6-7-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------7-10-11-| B|-----------------------------10-11---------| G|-------------------7-8-10-11---------------| D|-------------7-8-9-------------------------| A|---------8-9-------------------------------| E|-7-10-11-----------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------10-11-13-| B|--------------------------------10-11-12----------| G|--------------------------10-11-------------------| D|------------------9-12-13-------------------------| A|----------9-12-13---------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-| B|-------------------------------------15-16-------| G|----------------------------14-15-16-------------| D|----------------12-13-15-16----------------------| A|-------12-13-14----------------------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-17-18-| B|----------------------------------15-16-18----------| G|-------------------------14-15-16-------------------| D|-------------------15-16----------------------------| A|----------14-17-18----------------------------------| E|-14-17-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play A Locrian bb3 bb7 on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A 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 5–9. 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 | A |
| ♭2 | Bb |
| 𝄫3 | Cb |
| 4 | D |
| ♭5 | Eb |
| ♭6 | F |
| 𝄫7 | Gb |
Chords in A 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 A Locrian bb3 bb7; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Supertonic |
| III | Cb | Cbmaj7 | Mediant |
| iv | Dm | — | Subdominant |
| ♭v | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Dominant |
| ♭VI | — | — | Submediant |
| VII+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
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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 A Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale?
- The A Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale has 7 notes: A, Bb, Cb, D, Eb, F, Gb.
- What chords are in the A Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale?
- The chords of A Locrian bb3 bb7 are Bb (♭II), Cb (III), Dm (iv), Ebm (♭v), Gbaug (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 A Locrian bb3 bb7 on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.