Alternative Scale Names
Locrian bb7 is a common and popular name for the scale, but it has a couple of other aliases:
- Locrian Diminished 7
- Locrian b7
A note on Locrian b7 and Locrian bb7 and why they are considered the same scale.
The "Locrian b7" notation implies that you apply the b7 alteration to the Locrian scale itself. Since the regular Locrian's 7th degree is already flattened (b7), then "Locrian b7" means that the 7th degree should be flattened twice. That's how the scale name "Locrian bb7" came to be.
You simply need to read these 2 notations differently. Locrian b7 should be read as "take regular Locrian scale and flatten its 7th degree". On the other hand, Locrian bb7 should be read as "same as a regular Locrian scale, but with a double-flattened 7th".
In a perfect world, "Locrian b7" would be a proper way to label a scale. However, "bb7" is a more popular choice. This kind of ambiguity is rare in music, but it does happen. If you're ever confused by an alteration in a scale name, just refer to its intervallic formula.
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