E♭ ionian ♯5 scale on drop D guitar

E♭ · F · G · A♭ · B · C · D

The course explains what this page shows in Lesson 24 · Modes.

The notes

  1. E♭1
  2. F2
  3. G3
  4. A♭4
  5. B♯5
  6. C6
  7. D7

The E♭ ionian ♯5 scale is E♭, F, G, A♭, B, C, D.

You may also see it called Ionian augmented · 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7.

On the staff

E♭FGA♭BCDE♭

On a treble staff, the E♭ ionian ♯5 scale is written E♭ F G A♭ B C D.

This is one octave of the E♭ ionian ♯5 scale, written on the treble clef. Guitar and bass music is written an octave higher than it sounds, and the small 8 under the clef is the sign for that.

Why the E♭ ionian ♯5 scale has these flats

  1. E♭1
  2. T
  3. F2
  4. T
  5. G3
  6. S
  7. A♭4
  8. T+S
  9. B♯5
  10. S
  11. C6
  12. T
  13. D7
  14. S
  15. E♭8

A scale is a pattern of steps, and this one is T T S T+S S T S: a tone, a tone, a semitone, and so on. S stands for a semitone, the distance of one fret or one key. T stands for a tone, which is two semitones. T+S stands for a tone and a half, which is three semitones. The pattern is what gives E♭ ionian ♯5 its sound, and it stays the same whichever note you start on.

The second rule is that a seven-note scale uses each letter name once, from A to G, so its seven notes take seven different letters. That is why E♭ ionian ♯5 is spelled the way it is, rather than with whichever accidental looks tidier.

Together, the two rules leave no room for choice. If you walk the pattern up from E♭, one letter cannot keep up:

  • A♭ — the fourth. The pattern needs a semitone from G, but G to A is only a tone, so A has to fall to A♭.

That accidental was not a choice. Once you pick the note to start on, the pattern decides the rest, and a key signature is a record of the result.

The E♭ ionian ♯5 scale is written with E♭ and A♭. E♭ has its accidental because that is the key, and the other note needs one because the T T S T+S S T S pattern of steps cannot be spelled from E♭ with plain letters.

The pattern of steps is the part of a scale that never changes. The letter names take sharps or flats to fit that pattern, and a key signature is a record of those sharps or flats.

On the piano

6C7DE2F3GA♯5B6C7DE2F3GA♯5B6C7DE2F3GA♯5B6C7DE2F3GA♯5B6CC♯1E♭F♯4A♭A♯C♯1E♭F♯4A♭A♯C♯1E♭F♯4A♭A♯C♯1E♭F♯4A♭A♯C2C3C4C5C6

The keyboard shows the same seven notes as a shape you can see. The coloured keys are the E♭ ionian ♯5 scale, and you can click any key to hear it.

E♭ ionian ♯5 scale on the whole neck

DADGBE123456789101112131415D7E♭1F2G3A♭4B♯5C6D7E♭1F2B♯5C6D7E♭1F2G3A♭4B♯5C6D7E♭1F2G3A♭4B♯5C6D7E♭1F2G3A♭4B♯5C6D7E♭1F2G3A♭4B♯5C6D7E♭1F2G3A♭4B♯5C6D7F2G3A♭4B♯5C6D7E♭1F2G3

82 notes of the E♭ ionian ♯5 scale are marked across six strings.

This is every place the notes of the E♭ ionian ♯5 scale fall on the drop D guitar, with each note's name and its scale degree. The roots are marked so you can find your bearings.

Position by position

Position 1 — starts on the 1
DADGBE123456123♯5671234♯56671234
Position 2 — starts on the 2
DADGBE345678234671234♯56771234♯5
Position 3 — starts on the 3
DADGBE567891034♯571234♯5671234♯56
Position 4 — starts on the 4
DADGBE678910114♯561234♯56712234♯567
Position 5 — starts on the ♯5
DADGBE91011121314♯567134♯56712344♯56712
Position 6 — starts on the 6
DADGBE10111213141567134♯5671234♯56712
Position 7 — starts on the 7
DADGBE121314151617712♯5671234♯5♯5671234

The E♭ ionian ♯5 scale has seven playable positions, at frets 1–5, 3–7, 5–9, 6–10, 9–13, 10–14 and 12–16.

Each shape starts on a different degree of the scale and fits inside five frets, so your hand can play all of it without moving.

One climb up the neck

DADGBE1234567891011121234♯5671234♯5671234♯5671TAB135623563564578689781011

The climb runs from fret 1 to fret 11 and plays 22 notes.

This is one path from the lowest root to the top of the neck, and it plays each note once, never on two strings. It takes a different number of notes on different strings. The widest stretch on any one string is five frets.