Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
A Locrian bb7 Scale
Mode 7 of Harmonic Major: Locrian with a doubly flattened 7th (𝄫7).
Tap any note to hear it.
A Locrian 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|-----------------------------5-6-8-| B|-------------------------6-7-------| G|-------------------5-7-8-----------| D|---------------7-8-----------------| A|-------5-6-8-9---------------------| E|-5-6-8-----------------------------|
e|------------------------------------8-10-11-| B|------------------------------10-11---------| G|--------------------7-8-10-11---------------| D|-------------7-8-10-------------------------| A|---------8-9--------------------------------| E|-8-10-11------------------------------------|
e|------------------------------------------10-11-13-| B|---------------------------------10-11-13----------| G|---------------------------10-11-------------------| D|------------------10-12-13-------------------------| A|----------9-12-13----------------------------------| E|-10-11-13------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-| B|----------------------------------13-15-16-------| G|----------------------------14-15----------------| D|----------------12-13-15-16----------------------| A|-------12-13-15----------------------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-17-18-| B|----------------------------------15-16-18----------| G|-------------------------14-15-17-------------------| D|-------------------15-16----------------------------| A|----------15-17-18----------------------------------| E|-14-17-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play A Locrian 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 | C |
| 4 | D |
| ♭5 | Eb |
| ♭6 | F |
| 𝄫7 | Gb |
Chords in A Locrian 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 bb7; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | Adim | Adim7 | Tonic |
| ♭II | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Supertonic |
| ♭iii° | Cdim | Cm7b5 | Mediant |
| iv | Dm | Dm7 | Subdominant |
| ♭v | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Dominant |
| ♭VI | F | F7 | Submediant |
| VII+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the A Locrian bb7 Scale?
- The A Locrian bb7 Scale has 7 notes: A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F, Gb.
- What chords are in the A Locrian bb7 Scale?
- The chords of A Locrian bb7 are Adim (i°), Bb (♭II), Cdim (♭iii°), Dm (iv), Ebm (♭v), F (♭VI), Gbaug (VII+).
- What is the formula of the locrian bb7 scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 𝄫7, which is the step pattern H W W H W H W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Locrian 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.