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A♭ messiaen's mode #7 Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: Fb, F, G, Ab, Bbb, Bb, Cb, Db, D, Eb, Fb at frets 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12

A string: Bbb, Bb, Cb, Db, D, Eb, Fb, F, G, Ab, Bbb at frets 0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12

D string: D, Eb, Fb, F, G, Ab, Bbb, Bb, Cb, Db, D at frets 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12

G string: G, Ab, Bbb, Bb, Cb, Db, D, Eb, Fb, F, G at frets 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12

B string: Cb, Db, D, Eb, Fb, F, G, Ab, Bbb, Bb, Cb at frets 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

High E string: Fb, F, G, Ab, Bbb, Bb, Cb, Db, D, Eb, Fb at frets 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12

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Ab messiaen's mode #7

Messiaen's mode 7 is the largest mode of limited transposition: ten notes, leaving out just one whole-step pair per tritone half. It is nearly chromatic, with symmetry at the tritone and only six distinct transpositions. In practice it works as organized chromaticism: dense clusters and runs that still obey an internal pattern rather than free atonality.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

A♭

I

B𝄫

bII

B♭

II

C♭

bIII

D♭

IV

D

#IV

E♭

V

F♭

bVI

F

VI

G

VII

messiaen's mode #7 in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Ten notes from Ab: think of it as the chromatic scale with one whole-step gap per tritone half; the gaps define it, so phrase around them.
  • Its symmetry at the tritone (D) gives structure to near-chromatic runs: mirror each gesture six frets away.
  • Use it as organized chromaticism for climaxes: scale-wise motion reads as intent where free chromatics read as noise.
  • Extract subsets: any five adjacent tones give a dense cluster scale; contrast two subsets from opposite tritone halves.

How to play A♭ messiaen's mode #7 on guitar

Every one of the six open strings lands on a scale tone in this key, an unusual perk for a spelling that carries 7 flats. None of them hits the root, though, so use them as passing color rather than anchors. A capo at fret 1 rewrites everything as G fingering, which means the flats disappear from under your hands. Lowest root: low E, fret 4.

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