Harmonic MinorDegree 7

Super Locrian ♭♭7

Near-black with faint grey outlines. The deepest darkness in the harmonic minor family. barely any light reaches here.

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Scale NotesSuper Locrian ♭♭7 in C
C
D♭
E♭
F♭
G♭
A♭
B♭♭
Interval Formula
1♭2♭3♭4♭5♭6♭♭7
Primary Chord
The tonic chord built from this mode
Cdim7

Chord Tones

CD♯F♯A

All Diatonic Chords

Cdim7C♯m(maj7)D♯m7♭5Emaj7F♯m7G♯7A♯♭maj7♯5
Chord Voicings
Guitar voicings for Cdim7
Cdim77Symmetric diminished voicing. Every note is a minor 3rd apart. Moveable in 3-fret increments.
Cdim75th-string-root diminished voicing. Also symmetric and moveable in minor 3rds.
Cdim75Root, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7. Compact four-note dim7 on top strings.
Fretboard

Super Locrian ♭♭7 in C

123456789101112131415EADGBeEF♯G♯ACC♯D♯EF♯ACC♯D♯EF♯G♯ACD♯EF♯G♯ACC♯D♯EG♯ACC♯D♯EF♯G♯ACC♯D♯EF♯G♯ACC♯EF♯G♯ACC♯D♯EF♯
RootCharacteristic toneScale tone
Listen
Audio. Super Locrian ♭♭7 in C
Tempo:
180 BPM

Musical Context

Diatonic Context
Chords built from the D♭ harmonic minor scale — click any chord for voicings
Where to Use Super Locrian ♭♭7
Primary Chord
Cdim7
Function
Leading Tone
Key Context
The vii° chord in D♭ harmonic minor

The darkest mode of harmonic minor.

Related Chord Voicings
Extensions, substitutions, and simplifications for Cdim7

Simplified Voicings

Example Progressions
Progressions where Super Locrian ♭♭7 applies (in C)
iv → III⁺ → iv → vii°
iv: G♭m7III⁺: F♭maj7♯5iv: G♭m7vii°: Cdim7

Super Locrian ♭♭7 is the most altered mode — every degree except the root is flattened.

Practice in Play Along →
Arpeggio Connection
The arpeggio that matches the Cdim7 chord
Diminished 7th
Cdim7
Tones
C
R
E♭
♭3
G♭
♭5
B♭♭
♭♭7
Highlighted = guide tones (define chord quality)

Sound

The darkest mode of harmonic minor. nearly every note is flattened, including a double-flat 7th. It's extremely tense, diminished in character, and almost atonal-sounding. Like peering into a musical abyss.

Practical Use Cases

  • ●Over diminished 7th chords
  • ●Rare theoretical applications
  • ●Extreme tension and dissonance
  • ●Compositional and analytical contexts

Practical Notes

Also called Ultralocrian. This is the seventh mode of harmonic minor and the most obscure mode in this collection. The ♭♭7 (double-flat 7, enharmonically a 6th) makes it extremely hard to use melodically. In practice, over dim7 chords, most players use the diminished scale (whole-half or half-whole) instead. This mode exists more for theoretical completeness than practical application. File it under 'good to know it exists' rather than 'need to practice this.'

diminishedextremetheoreticalharmonic-minor-familyadvanced

Practice Drills

Ascending & Descending in One PositionBeginnerTechnique
5 min

Play the mode ascending and descending within a single five-fret box. Build muscle memory and connect the sound to the shape.

Three-Notes-Per-String PatternsIntermediateTechnique
10 min

Play the mode using three notes on every string, stretching across the neck. Great for building legato technique and hearing the scale in a linear way.

Emphasize Characteristic Tones on Strong BeatsIntermediateImprovisation
10 min

Create short melodic phrases that land the mode's characteristic tone(s) on beats 1 and 3. This trains you to bring out the sound that defines the mode.

Improvise Over a Matching ChordBeginnerImprovisation
5 min

Play the mode's parent chord as a loop (or use a backing track) and improvise over it for two minutes. This connects the mode to its harmonic context.

Create 3 Licks Using Only Strings 1–3IntermediateImprovisation
10 min

Compose three short licks (2–4 beats each) using only the top three strings. This forces creativity within a constraint and builds upper-register vocabulary.

Resolve from Tension to StabilityIntermediateEar Training
8 min

Practice approaching chord tones from a half step above or below, training your ear to hear tension resolve.

Try Super Locrian ♭♭7 in Play Along

Practice improvising over real chord changes with guided scale and target note suggestions.

Compare With

Locrian vs Super Locrian ♭♭7
The darkest diatonic mode versus the darkest mode in the harmonic minor family. Both are extremely unstable, but they serve different chord types and come from different parent scales.

Related Modes

LocrianAlteredLocrian Natural 6

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