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Fig. 1 · Gb major blues · first 12 frets

ukulele scale

G♭ major blues

G♭1A♭2B♭♭♭3B♭3D♭5E♭6

Major pentatonic with a flattened third added next to the third — the two live side by side rather than replacing each other.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are F♯ major blues.

on guitaron piano

Written out

Fig. 2 · Gb major blues, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

G♭WA♭HB♭♭HB♭W+HD♭WE♭W+HG♭

What is true of it

G♭ major blues is G♭, A♭, B♭♭, B♭, D♭ and E♭, and back to G♭.

Its steps are W – H – H – W+H – W – W+H, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Written correctly it needs 7 alterations, B♭♭ among them. That is what the letters force, and it is also why nobody writes music in this key: the same notes spelled from the other side are easier to read.

Across the first twelve frets of the ukulele its notes fall in 25 places, which is what makes a scale a shape rather than a list.

Chords made only of these notes

E♭mminorE♭dimdiminishedE♭m7minor seventhE♭m7♭5half-diminished seventhG♭majorG♭mminor

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 6 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on G♭

G♭ major pentatonicpentatonicG♭ minor pentatonicpentatonicG♭ bluespentatonicG♭ majormajorG♭ natural minorminorG♭ harmonic minorminor

C maj bluesC♯ maj bluesD♭ maj bluesD maj bluesD♯ maj bluesE♭ maj bluesE maj bluesF maj bluesall 374