About the B flat Synthetic scale
B flat Synthetic is used for experimental and cinematic writing. Think of it as a made-up six-note scale with a raised fourth and a flat sixth. It is B♭ Whole Tone with the seventh raised.
Its notes are B♭, C, D, E, G♭, and A. The formula is W W W W 1½ H. It is the sixth mode of C Prometheus.
An unfretted guitar already sounds E, A, and D from this mode. A guitarist finds the lowest B♭ at the 1st fret of the A string. Placed at the first fret, a capo lets B♭ Synthetic be played with A-shape fingerings.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
6-position system
6 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | BbB♭ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | CC | Major 2nd |
| 3 | DD | Major 3rd |
| 4 | EE | Augmented 4th |
| 5 | GbG♭ | Minor 6th |
| 6 | AA | Major 7th |
| Steps | W W W W 1½ H |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-2-2-2-3-1 |
| Degrees | 1 2 3 ♯4 ♭6 7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Synthetic in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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