EADGBE123456789101112b71b2b3b4b5b6b7b3b4b5b6b71b2b3b6b71b2b3b4b5b6b2b3b4b5b6b71b2b5b6b71b2b3b4b71b2b3b4b5b6b7
Fig. 1 · Gb altered · first 12 frets

guitar scale

G♭ altered

G♭1A♭♭♭2B♭♭♭3C♭♭♭4D♭♭♭5E♭♭♭6F♭♭7

The seventh mode of melodic minor. Every degree above the tonic that can be altered, is.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are F♯ altered.

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · Gb altered, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

G♭HA♭♭WB♭♭HC♭♭WD♭♭WE♭♭WF♭WG♭

What is true of it

G♭ altered is G♭, A♭♭, B♭♭, C♭♭, D♭♭, E♭♭ and F♭, and back to G♭.

Its steps are H – W – H – W – W – W – W, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Written correctly it needs 12 alterations, A♭♭, B♭♭, C♭♭, D♭♭ and E♭♭ among them. That is what the letters force, and it is also why nobody writes music in this key: the same notes spelled from the other side are easier to read.

On the same tonic, G♭ Locrian differs from it by exactly one note.

Across the first twelve frets of the guitar its notes fall in 47 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

G♭dimdiminishedG♭augaugmentedG♭m7♭5half-diminished seventh

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on G♭

G♭ Phrygian dominantexoticG♭ Lydian dominantexoticG♭ double harmonicexoticG♭ majormajorG♭ natural minorminorG♭ harmonic minorminor

C altC♯ altD♭ altD altD♯ altE♭ altE altF altall 374