D# Messiaen's Mode #4 Guitar Scale — Drop B
Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram
D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Drop B — Notes and Intervals
The D# Messiaen's Mode #4 scale is a symmetrical scale designed to have no single tonic. On Guitar, the notes are D#, E, F, G#, A, A#, B, D. Messiaen used it to create what he called the charm of impossibilities, evoking a sense of spiritual wonder where the listener loses their sense of direction. Commonly used in Contemporary Classical, Film Scores, Experimental. Notable players include Olivier Messiaen. Use for avant-garde composition and film scoring where traditional tonal direction should dissolve.
Notes: D#, E, F, G#, A, A#, B, D
Intervals: 1P, 2m, 2M, 4P, 4A, 5P, 6m, 7M
Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 #5 6 b7 8
Formula: H-H-WH-H-H-H-WH-H
Number of notes: 8
Tuning: Drop B (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#)
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
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Standard Tuning
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Drop D
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in DADGAD
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Open G
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Baritone (B Standard)
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in 7-string
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in 8-string
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Drop C
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Open D
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Half Step Down
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Open E
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Open A
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Double Drop D
- D# Messiaen's Mode #4 in Open C