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.
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.
e|--------------------------------------8-9-10-| B|---------------------------------9-10--------| G|---------------------------10-11-------------| D|------------------10-11-12-------------------| A|--------8-9-11-12----------------------------| E|-8-9-10--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------13-14----------| G|-------------------------10-11-13-14----------------| D|----------------10-11-12----------------------------| A|----------11-12-------------------------------------| E|-10-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-| B|----------------------------------13-14-15----------| G|----------------------------13-14-------------------| D|-------------------12-15-16-------------------------| A|----------12-15-16----------------------------------| E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-| B|-------------------------------------18-19-------| G|----------------------------17-18-19-------------| D|----------------15-16-18-19----------------------| A|-------15-16-17----------------------------------| E|-16-17-------------------------------------------|
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
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 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.