STRINGSCALES

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

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

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

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

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

B string: B, C, C#, D#, E, F, F#, G, A, A#, B at frets 0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12

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

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E 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:

E

I

F

bII

F♯

II

G

bIII

A

IV

A♯

#IV

B

V

C

bVI

C♯

VI

D♯

VII

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

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

Both E strings sit on the root when played open, so drones on either end of the range cost nothing. Open A, G, and B ring inside the key as well, adding the perfect fourth, minor third, and perfect fifth above E. First box closes out at fret 4, which means opening-position work never strays far from the nut. More roots: D string, fret 2.

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