STRINGSCALES

B messiaen's mode #7 Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, E#, F#, G, G#, A#, B, C, C#, D, E at frets 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12

A string: A#, B, C, C#, D, E, E#, F#, G, G# at frets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

D string: D, E, E#, F#, G, G#, A#, B, C, C#, D at frets 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

G string: G, G#, A#, B, C, C#, D, E, E#, F#, G at frets 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12

B string: B, C, C#, D, E, E#, F#, G, G#, A#, B at frets 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12

High E string: E, E#, F#, G, G#, A#, B, C, C#, D, E at frets 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12

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B 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:

B

I

C

bII

C♯

II

D

bIII

E

IV

E♯

#IV

F♯

V

G

bVI

G♯

VI

A♯

VII

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

tip
  • Ten notes from B: 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 (F) 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 B messiaen's mode #7 on guitar

Open B hands you the root on the second string, and the perfect fourth rings from both open E strings, so a drone bed needs no fretting at all. D and G add minor third and minor sixth. Roots also sit at A string fret 2 and at fret 7 on both E strings. Two frets of capo convert everything to A fingering, which lets the 5 sharps ride along familiar open shapes.

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