A Major Augmented Guitar Scale — Drop B
Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram
A Major Augmented in Drop B — Notes and Intervals
The A Major Augmented scale is an unstable and rich scale used to bridge complex dominant harmonies. On Guitar, its notes are A, B, C#, D, F, F#, G#. It provides a shifting, liquid texture to music and is used in modern classical and jazz to avoid traditional tonal resolutions. Commonly used in Jazz, Modern Classical, Fusion. Notable players include Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock. Use over augmented and Maj7#5 chords. Creates a shimmering, unresolved quality for modern jazz and classical passages.
Notes: A, B, C#, D, F, F#, G#
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4P, 5A, 6M, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 3 4 #5 6 7
Formula: W-W-H-WH-H-W-H
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Drop B (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#)
Also known as: major #5, ionian augmented, ionian #5
About Drop B Tuning
Drop B tuning (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#) takes the guitar into territory traditionally reserved for 7-string instruments, delivering a subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest. This tuning has become essential in modern extreme metal, deathcore, and djent, where low-end clarity and rhythmic precision are paramount.
Drop B represents the practical limit of what a standard 6-string guitar can handle before tone quality degrades. With the right string gauge (12-60 or heavier) and proper setup, it delivers the crushing lows of a 7-string while keeping the familiar 6-string layout. Bands like Architects, Periphery (on some tracks), and Parkway Drive have used Drop B to create some of the heaviest riffs in modern metal.
Notable artists: Architects, Parkway Drive, Whitechapel, Born of Osiris, Emmure
Best for: Extreme metal riffs, deathcore breakdowns, djent chugs, and any style demanding the lowest possible 6-string tuning
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- A Major Augmented in Standard Tuning
- A Major Augmented in Drop D
- A Major Augmented in DADGAD
- A Major Augmented in Open G
- A Major Augmented in Baritone (B Standard)
- A Major Augmented in 7-string
- A Major Augmented in 8-string
- A Major Augmented in Drop C
- A Major Augmented in Open D
- A Major Augmented in Half Step Down
- A Major Augmented in Open E
- A Major Augmented in Open A
- A Major Augmented in Double Drop D
- A Major Augmented in Open C