Map it slowly
Find G♭ on string 6 at fret 2. Play string 6, fret 2; string 6, fret 6; string 5, fret 5; string 4, fret 2; string 4, fret 4. Use a relaxed position and release pressure between repetitions. String 1 is high E.
Arpeggio · G♭7♯5 · Guitar
G♭7♯5 arpeggio on guitar
The G♭7♯5 arpeggio is G♭ – B♭ – D – F♭ — chord tones 1 3 ♯5 ♭7. G♭7♯5 is a dominant that wants extra tension before resolving down a fifth; its sound is floating, whole-tone. Below, every G♭, B♭, D, F♭ on the fretboard is marked, with the root in gold. Press play to hear a one-octave arpeggio, or tap any note.
Visualizer
G♭7♯5 on the fretboard.
Guitar · standard tuning
Piano
RootChord toneBeing played
Tempo100 bpm
Show
Sound
Play loops the arpeggio up and down one octave (switch Loop off for a single pass) in the position starting at fret 2. Tap any marked note to hear it. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Your next 10 minutes
Make G♭ Augmented 7th (7♯5) part of your playing
Make a short phrase
Play G♭ – B♭ – D – F♭ in quarter notes at 60 bpm. Repeat starting from B♭, wrapping back to G♭. Do not speed up until every attack is even.
Hear it in context
Alternate B♭ and F♭ above a sustained G♭. These are degree 3 and ♭7. End a four-bar phrase on either one instead of always returning to the root.
Listen for this: G♭7♯5 has the colour “floating, whole-tone”. Name the degrees as you play, so you can recognize the sound in another key rather than remembering only a shape.
Understand the sound
G♭7♯5: from a pattern to a musical choice
What gives G♭7♯5 its identity?
The raised fifth changes the dominant’s centre of gravity. Keep the major third and flat seventh clear while you listen to the altered fifth.
Here the third is B♭, and degree ♭7 is F♭. Play G♭ in the bass and compare these voices individually before combining them.
Turn the arpeggio into a melody
Try B♭ – D – F♭ – G♭ as quarter notes, then repeat the first note and omit the last. The second phrase uses the same harmony with a different shape.
Sound the strings separately before playing them together. If a note is muted, adjust the finger angle instead of squeezing harder.
Your guitar checkpoint
Start with G♭ on string 6, fret 2. The next note B♭ is on string 6, fret 6. Name both notes aloud before playing, then find the same two pitches in another octave.
Before moving on, close the diagram and name the notes: G♭ · B♭ · D · F♭. Then play a two-bar phrase from memory and leave two bars of silence.
On piano
G♭7♯5 on the keyboard.
Reference
G♭7♯5 — chord tones & intervals.
| Chord tone | Note | Interval from G♭ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G♭ | unison (0 semitones) |
| 3 | B♭ | major 3rd (4 semitones) |
| ♯5 | D | augmented 5th (8 semitones) |
| ♭7 | F♭ | minor 7th (10 semitones) |
Goes with: G♭ Whole tone (G♭ A♭ B♭ C D E). Voicings: G♭7♯5 voicings on guitar.
Take it to the bandstand.Practice Radio streams endless changes to play the G♭7♯5 arpeggio over through all twelve keys, with the chord and scale shown live — plus ear-training and call & response modes.
▶ Open Practice RadioCommon questions
G♭7♯5 arpeggio FAQ.
What notes are in a G♭7♯5 arpeggio?
G♭ – B♭ – D – F♭. As chord tones: 1 3 ♯5 ♭7. Played one after another instead of together, that is the arpeggio.
What is a G♭7♯5 chord used for?
G♭7♯5 is a dominant that wants extra tension before resolving down a fifth. Its character is floating, whole-tone.
Which scale goes with G♭7♯5?
G♭ Whole tone (G♭ A♭ B♭ C D E) — the arpeggio is the skeleton of that scale, so practise them together.
How do I practise the G♭7♯5 arpeggio on guitar?
Start on the root G♭ on the low E string at fret 2 and play E-string fret 2, E-string fret 6, A-string fret 5, D-string fret 2, D-string fret 4. Then play it descending, then in eighth notes with a metronome, then use it in a short phrase over a suitable chord.
Keep going
Augmented 7th (7♯5) arpeggio in every other key.
Same arpeggio on piano · Augmented 7th (7♯5) hub · chord-scale theory.
Other arpeggios from G♭