EADGBE123456789101112b712b345b6b7b345b6b712b3b6b712b345b62b345b6b7145b6b712b34b712b345b6b7
Fig. 1 · Gb natural minor · first 12 frets

guitar scale

G♭ natural minor

G♭1A♭2B♭♭♭3C♭4D♭5E♭♭♭6F♭♭7

The major scale started from its sixth degree: same seven notes, a different centre of gravity.

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

on ukuleleon piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · Gb natural minor, 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♭WA♭HB♭♭WC♭WD♭HE♭♭WF♭WG♭

What is true of it

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

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

Written correctly it needs 9 alterations, B♭♭ 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♭ harmonic minor 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.

It cannot be written as a key signature at all, because a signature has no room for a double accidental.

Chords made only of these notes

D♭mminorD♭m7minor seventhG♭mminorG♭m7minor seventhA♭dimdiminishedA♭m7♭5half-diminished seventh

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

Other scales on G♭

G♭ harmonic minorminorG♭ melodic minorminorG♭ majormajorG♭ harmonic majormajorG♭ Dorianmode

C minC♯ minD♭ minD minD♯ minE♭ minE minF minall 374