STRINGSCALES

G♭ pelog Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: Gb, Abb, Bbb, Db, Ebb at frets 2, 3, 5, 9, 10

A string: Bbb, Db, Ebb, Gb, Abb, Bbb at frets 0, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12

D string: Ebb, Gb, Abb, Bbb, Db, Ebb at frets 0, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12

G string: Abb, Bbb, Db, Ebb, Gb, Abb at frets 0, 2, 6, 7, 11, 12

B string: Db, Ebb, Gb, Abb, Bbb at frets 2, 3, 7, 8, 10

High E string: Gb, Abb, Bbb, Db, Ebb at frets 2, 3, 5, 9, 10

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Gb pelog

The pelog scale is a five note approximation, in Western tuning, of the Indonesian pelog tuning system used in gamelan music: root, flat 2nd, flat 3rd, 5th, flat 6th. Real pelog is a seven tone tuning that does not map onto equal temperament, so treat this as a color palette rather than a transcription. Its stacked half steps around the root and 5th produce the shimmering, gong-like character.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

G♭

I

A𝄫

bII

B𝄫

bIII

D♭

V

E𝄫

bVI

Same notes, different mode

Gb pelog uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

D ionian pentatonic

pelog in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Five notes approximating gamelan pelog in Western frets: root, b2 (G), b3 (A), V, b6 (D); keep an ostinato, not a solo, mindset.
  • Interlock two patterns an octave apart, one busy, one sparse, imitating kotekan; the scale rewards texture over melody.
  • Both half steps (b2 (G) to root, b6 (D) to V) resolve downward; ending on Gb or the 5th always sounds right.
  • Real pelog tuning is not equal-tempered: bend b2 (G) and b6 (D) slightly to taste and the flavor gets closer.

How to play G♭ pelog on guitar

Open A, D and G all belong here, but they enter as a minor third, a minor sixth and a minor second, so use them as passing colour and not as a pedal. Capo the 2nd fret and the grip becomes E pelog, which lets you lift shapes from a key with open-string roots. Lowest root is fret 2 on the low E. First shape stops working at fret 6, and the A-shape barre stands at fret 9.

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