D Ultralocrian Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in 8-string tuning — fretboard diagram
D Ultralocrian in 8-string — Notes and Intervals
The D Ultralocrian scale is an extremely dark and condensed scale used to create intense chromatic tension. On Guitar, its notes are D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, B. It is used in avant-garde jazz and dark ambient music to explore the most dissonant boundaries of minor-key tonality. Commonly used in Avant-Garde, Dark Ambient, Experimental Jazz. Notable players include John Zorn, Derek Bailey. Use over dim7 chords in avant-garde contexts. More of a compositional tool than an improvisational one.
Notes: D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, B
Intervals: 1P, 2m, 3m, 4d, 5d, 6m, 7d
Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 7
Formula: H-W-H-W-W-H-WH
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: 8-string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E)
Also known as: superlocrian bb7, superlocrian diminished
About 8-string Tuning
The 8-string guitar adds both a low B and a low F# string (F#-B-E-A-D-G-B-E), pushing the instrument's range almost into bass guitar territory. This massive tonal range has become the weapon of choice for djent, progressive metal, and experimental composers who need bone-crushing low-end and soaring highs in a single instrument.
With artists like Tosin Abasi, Meshuggah, and After the Burial leading the charge, the 8-string guitar has redefined what's possible in modern heavy music. The low F# string delivers subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest, while the upper strings maintain standard guitar voicings for leads and clean passages. Extended-range compositions often exploit the full span of the instrument, creating a wall of sound that covers bass, rhythm, and lead guitar roles simultaneously.
Notable artists: Meshuggah, Animals as Leaders, After the Burial, Intervals, Monuments
Best for: Djent polyrhythms, extended-range metal riffs, experimental compositions, and one-instrument arrangements spanning bass to lead
Musical Character
The darkest mode of the harmonic minor — so dark it has a diminished 4th (bb7), making it almost chromatic. Used to push dissonance to its absolute limit.