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Guitar scale · exotic

C Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale

Mode 7 of Double Harmonic Major: Locrian with a doubly flattened 3rd and a doubly flattened 7th.

Notes CDbDFGbAbA
Formula 1 ♭2 𝄫3 4 ♭5 ♭6 𝄫7
Steps H H W+H H W H W+H
Mood Unstable, Dark, Dissonant
Heard in Modal Improvisation

Interactive scale diagram

C Locrian bb3 bb7 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.

C 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.

Position 1 · E shape frets 8–12
e|--------------------------------------8-9-10-|
B|---------------------------------9-10--------|
G|---------------------------10-11-------------|
D|------------------10-11-12-------------------|
A|--------8-9-11-12----------------------------|
E|-8-9-10--------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------10-13-14-|
B|-------------------------------------13-14----------|
G|-------------------------10-11-13-14----------------|
D|----------------10-11-12----------------------------|
A|----------11-12-------------------------------------|
E|-10-13-14-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 12–16
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-|
B|----------------------------------13-14-15----------|
G|----------------------------13-14-------------------|
D|-------------------12-15-16-------------------------|
A|----------12-15-16----------------------------------|
E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 15–19
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-|
B|-------------------------------------18-19-------|
G|----------------------------17-18-19-------------|
D|----------------15-16-18-19----------------------|
A|-------15-16-17----------------------------------|
E|-16-17-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 17–21
e|-------------------------------------------17-20-21-|
B|----------------------------------18-19-21----------|
G|-------------------------17-18-19-------------------|
D|-------------------18-19----------------------------|
A|----------17-20-21----------------------------------|
E|-17-20-21-------------------------------------------|

How to play C Locrian bb3 bb7 on guitar

Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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 C
♭2 Db
𝄫3 D
4 F
♭5 Gb
♭6 Ab
𝄫7 A

Chords in C 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 C Locrian bb3 bb7; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I — — Tonic
♭II Db Dbmaj7 Supertonic
III D Dmaj7 Mediant
iv Fm — Subdominant
♭v Gbm Gbm(maj7) Dominant
♭VI — — Submediant
VII+ Aaug Amaj7#5 Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the C Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale?
The C Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale has 7 notes: C, Db, D, F, Gb, Ab, A.
What chords are in the C Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale?
The chords of C Locrian bb3 bb7 are Db (♭II), D (III), Fm (iv), Gbm (♭v), Aaug (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 C Locrian bb3 bb7 on the guitar?
The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale in every key

More scales in C