E flat diminished seventh arpeggio on bass
The E flat diminished seventh arpeggio (E♭°7) has 4 notes: E♭, G♭, B♭♭, D♭♭ (E flat, G flat, B double flat, and D double flat), degrees 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7 of the chord. On bass it fits one octave with the root on the 4th string (fret 11) or on the 3rd string (fret 6).
- E♭ E flat 1
- G♭ G flat ♭3
- B♭♭ B double flat ♭5
- D♭♭ D double flat ♭♭7
B♭♭ is the correct spelling in the chord formula; on the instrument it is the same note as A. D♭♭ is the correct spelling in the chord formula; on the instrument it is the same note as C.
Whole neck: every note of the arpeggio up to fret 15. The root (E♭) is highlighted.
Positions as text
Root on string 3 (A) (frets 5 to 9), from the lowest note to the highest:
- string 3: 6 (E♭), 9 (G♭)
- string 2: 7 (B♭♭)
- string 1: 5 (D♭♭), 8 (E♭)
Root on string 4 (E) (frets 10 to 14), from the lowest note to the highest:
- string 4: 11 (E♭), 14 (G♭)
- string 3: 12 (B♭♭)
- string 2: 10 (D♭♭), 13 (E♭)
Positions on the neck
On bass, each position fits within 4 or 5 frets, one finger per fret, with the root on the 4th string (E) or the 3rd (A), from E flat to the E flat one octave up. Two octaves do not fit under a still hand on 4 strings: you need to shift position halfway.
The faded notes around a position are chord tones too: use them to extend the arpeggio down or up.
Use Degrees to see the role of each note (1 is the root) and Listen to hear the selected position going up and down, at the tempo you want. With the whole neck, Listen plays the arpeggio from the lowest root.
Diagrams in standard tuning (E A D G).
Formula
- E♭
- 3
- G♭
- 3
- B♭♭
- 3
- D♭♭
- 3
- E♭
Degrees: 1 · ♭3 · ♭5 · ♭♭7 (root, minor third, diminished fifth, diminished seventh). Distance between the notes: 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 semitones, counting the step back to the upper root.
About the diminished seventh chord
The diminished seventh splits the octave into four equal parts: the same shape repeats every 3 frets and the chord has four possible names. A sound of drama and suspense; the classic passing chord of choro, samba, tango and silent-film scores.
The chord and the scale
- E flat diminished seventh chord (E♭°7) The chord shapes on guitar, with sound
- E flat diminished (whole-half) scale The scale to practice with it: it has every note of the arpeggio plus the ones in between.
Other E flat scales with every note of the arpeggio
More E flat arpeggios
- Major (E♭)
- Minor (E♭m)
- Seventh (E♭7)
- Major seventh (E♭7M)
- Minor seventh (E♭m7)
- Half-diminished (E♭m7(♭5))
- Diminished seventh (E♭°7)
- Augmented (E♭+)
The diminished seventh arpeggio in other keys
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes of the E flat diminished seventh arpeggio?
The E flat diminished seventh arpeggio (E♭°7) has the notes E flat, G flat, B double flat, and D double flat: degrees 1, ♭3, ♭5, ♭♭7 of the chord.
How do you play the E flat diminished seventh arpeggio on bass?
In one octave, one finger per fret: root on string 3 (A) (frets 5 to 9, 1 octave) and root on string 4 (E) (frets 10 to 14, 1 octave).
Which scale goes with the E flat diminished seventh arpeggio?
The E flat diminished (whole-half) scale, which has every note of the arpeggio. These also have all of them: E flat dominant diminished (half-whole) scale.