Harmonic Minor Modes: The Super Locrian bb7
In this final instalment of our series on the modes of the Harmonic Minor scale, we consider the scale known as the Super Locrian bb7. This is a very distinctive and dissonant scale, and is difficult to use in standard jazz and rock contexts; it makes us work hard if we're going to get something usable out of it.
The scale is spelled 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 bb7. The most natural harmonisation of this scale gives us a fully diminished seventh chord at the root (1 b3 b5 bb7), but the scale doesn't even work in a straightforward way over that harmony because of the b4 it contains, which creates a very strong dissonance.
The scale contains a minor triad built on the b2, which contains most of the notes not contained in the underlying harmony. When combined with the underlying diminished seventh the two arpeggios cover the whole scale. Note that the b2 minor is not a minor seventh. Here I'll play the two arpeggios up and down, then play a line that switches between them every couple of notes -- all of the examples in this post except the last one are in the key of A around fifth position:
T--------------------------5--8--6------------------------------------------------------------- |-----------------------7-----------6---------------------------------------------------------- A-----------------5--8-----------------6------------------------------------------------------- |-----------4--7--------------------------8---------------------------------------------------- B--------6-----------------------------------8------------------------------------------------- |--5--8-----------------------------------------9--6-------------------------------------------
T--8--5-----------------------------------------------------6--9--5---------------------------- |--------7--------------------------------------------7--6------------------------------------- A-----------8--5--6-----------------------------5--8------------------------------------------- |--------------------8-----------------------7------------------------------------------------- B-----------------------8--6--------------8---------------------------------------------------- |-----------------------------8--5--6--9-------------------------------------------------------
The augmented arpeggio is found at the root in this case, which gives us another way to break up the scale. Here I'll descend the scale in the normal way but then come back up via the augmented triad:
T--8--6--5-----------------------------5--9--8------------------------------------------------- |-----------7--6--------------------6---------------------------------------------------------- A-----------------8--6--5--------6------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------8--7---------------------------------------------------------------- B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The trouble with this is that it doesn't really suggest the Super Locrian bb7; that's a problem but also an invitation, since playing this mode can lead you into a bitonal way of playing. Over an extended, static harmony you can use this scale to strongly suggest other key centres -- in the case of the lick above that might be C or, by resolving up or down from other notes of the augmented arpeggio, Bb or F#. With ingenuity, in fact, you can reach any tonality you like from an augmented triad more or less immediately.
A major factor in the dissonance of this scale is the b4; one option is simply to remove it, giving us the hexatonic scale spelled 1 b2 b3 b5 b6 bb7, which in the Encyclopoedia is listed as Mode V of the 100101100110 scale set.
T--------------------------------------8--6--5------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------6--7---------------------------------------------------------- A--------------------------5--8---------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------7--8---------------------------------------------------------------------- B-----------6--8--9---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--5--6--8-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You'll probably find this scale significantly easier to use than the heptatonic thanks to the absence of that very sour b4. Just for fun, here's a short lick combining this scale with its coscale, meaning the hexatonic that contains all the notes that this scale doesn't contain:
T---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A--------------------------------6--7-----8---------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------6--9--------8-----7------------------------------------------------- B-----------8--6--7--9------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--5--6--8--------------7----------------------------------------------------------------------
No doubt we'll have more on complementary scales in posts: for now just notice that here we're playing the whole chromatic scale but in a highly organised way. The sound is much more satisfying than either the boring up-and-down chromatics we often hear or random attempts to play atonally without any internal logic.
Finally, let's return to the Super Locrian bb7 in all its ornery, heptatonic dissonance. Here's a sort of etude that uses only the notes from this scale (this time in the key of E) and tries to demonstrate the sounds it contains.
T--6-----6---------------4-----4--------------3-----3------------------------------------------ |-----8-----8---------------6-----6--------------5-----5--------------------------------------- A--------------6--10--9--------------5--9--6--------------3--6--5--3--------------------------- |---------------------------------------------------------------------6--5--3------------------ B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T--13------13------------------12------12-----------------10-----10---------------------------------- |------11------11------------------10------10-----------------8------8------------------------------- A------------------10--14--12------------------9--12--10----------------6--10--9--6--5--6--5--6--5--3 |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------5------------------------------------------------------------------- A-----------------3-----5-----6--3------------------------------------------------------------- |--------3-----5-----6--------------5--2--3--2--5--3--2--3--5--6--5--3--5--6--8--6--5--6--8---- B-----4-----7---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |--6-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A----------------------6------6--10--9--------------------------------------------------------- |--6--10--8--6--8--10-----10------------------------------------------------------------------- B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T--6-----6---------------4-----4--------------3-----3------------------------------------------ |-----8-----8---------------6-----6--------------5-----5--------------------------------------- A--------------6--10--9--------------5--9--6--------------3--6--5--3--------------------------- |---------------------------------------------------------------------6--5--3------------------ B------------------------------------------------------------------------------7--------------- |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's how the whole thing sounds, mostly in straight eighth notes at a medium tempo -- you could, of course, vary the rhythm and create your own variations on these ideas:
That completes our tour of the less well-known Harmonic Minor modes. The ones I haven't covered are the Harmonic Minor itself and the Phrygian Major, since both are widely used and familiar. It's nice to know that such a strange beast as the Super Locrian bb7 lurks within the modal group of even such a familiar scale as this one: you don't have to look too far to find challenging new sounds.
