Guitar scale · altered diminished
D Ultralocrian Scale
Mode 7 of Harmonic Minor: Locrian with a doubly flattened 7th (𝄫7). Every note except the root is lowered, and it holds every tone of a diminished 7th chord.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Ultralocrian 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|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-12-------------| G|----------------------------10-11-13-------------------| D|----------------------12-13----------------------------| A|-------------11-13-14----------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------15-16----------| G|----------------------------13-15-16----------------| D|----------------12-13-15-16-------------------------| A|----------13-14-------------------------------------| E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-18-| B|----------------------------------15-16-18----------| G|----------------------------15-16-------------------| D|-------------------15-16-18-------------------------| A|----------14-17-18----------------------------------| E|-14-16-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-| B|----------------------------------18-19-21-------| G|----------------------------19-20----------------| D|-------------------18-20-21----------------------| A|-------17-18-20-21-------------------------------| E|-18-19-------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------19-22-| B|----------------------------19-21-------| G|-------------------19-20-22-------------| D|-------------20-21----------------------| A|-------20-21----------------------------| E|-19-22----------------------------------|
How to play D Ultralocrian 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
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | D |
| ♭2 | Eb |
| ♭3 | F |
| ♭4 | Gb |
| ♭5 | Ab |
| ♭6 | Bb |
| 𝄫7 | Cb |
Chords in D Ultralocrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Ultralocrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | Ddim | Ddim7 | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♭iii° | Fdim | Fm7b5 | Mediant |
| ♭IV+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| ♭v | Abm | Abm7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Bb | Bb7 | Submediant |
| VII | Cb | Cbmaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Ultralocrian anywhere, even offline.
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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One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Ultralocrian Scale?
- The D Ultralocrian Scale has 7 notes: D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb.
- What chords are in the D Ultralocrian Scale?
- The chords of D Ultralocrian are Ddim (i°), Ebm (♭ii), Fdim (♭iii°), Gbaug (♭IV+), Abm (♭v), Bb (♭VI), Cb (VII).
- What is the formula of the ultralocrian scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 𝄫7, which is the step pattern H W H W W H W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Ultralocrian 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.