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Guitar scale · exotic

D Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale

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

Notes DEbFbGAbBbCb
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

D 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.

D 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 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-12-|
B|-------------------------------------11-12----------|
G|-------------------------------12-13----------------|
D|----------------------12-13-14----------------------|
A|----------10-11-13-14-------------------------------|
E|-10-11-12-------------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 12–16
e|-------------------------------------------12-15-16-|
B|-------------------------------------15-16----------|
G|-------------------------12-13-15-16----------------|
D|----------------12-13-14----------------------------|
A|----------13-14-------------------------------------|
E|-12-15-16-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 14–18
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-18-|
B|----------------------------------15-16-17----------|
G|----------------------------15-16-------------------|
D|-------------------14-17-18-------------------------|
A|----------14-17-18----------------------------------|
E|-15-16-18-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 17–21
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-|
B|-------------------------------------20-21-------|
G|----------------------------19-20-21-------------|
D|----------------17-18-20-21----------------------|
A|-------17-18-19----------------------------------|
E|-18-19-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 19–22
e|----------------------------------19-22-|
B|----------------------------20-21-------|
G|-------------------19-20-21-------------|
D|-------------20-21----------------------|
A|-------19-22----------------------------|
E|-19-22----------------------------------|

How to play D Locrian bb3 bb7 on guitar

Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–14. 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 D
♭2 Eb
𝄫3 Fb
4 G
♭5 Ab
♭6 Bb
𝄫7 Cb

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

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I — — Tonic
♭II Eb Ebmaj7 Supertonic
III Fb Fbmaj7 Mediant
iv Gm — Subdominant
♭v Abm Abm(maj7) Dominant
♭VI — — Submediant
VII+ Cbaug Cbmaj7#5 Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the D Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale?
The D Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale has 7 notes: D, Eb, Fb, G, Ab, Bb, Cb.
What chords are in the D Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale?
The chords of D Locrian bb3 bb7 are Eb (♭II), Fb (III), Gm (iv), Abm (♭v), Cbaug (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 D Locrian bb3 bb7 on the guitar?
The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Locrian bb3 bb7 Scale in every key

More scales in D