A♭ Ionian ♯5Scale

Formula

W W H 1½ H W H 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7
The family

A♭ Ionian ♯5 on the chromatic circle

A♭ Ionian ♯5 is the 3rd mode of the Harmonic minor family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W H W W H 1½ H 6 FI Harmonic minor 7 GII Locrian ♮6 1 A♭III Ionian ♯5 2 B♭IV Dorian ♯4 3 CV Phrygian dominant 4 D♭VI Lydian ♯2 ♯5 EVII Altered 𝄫7 A♭ Ionian ♯5
The whole neck

A♭ Ionian ♯5 across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 ♯5 6 7 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7 1 2 3 ♯5 6 7 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7
Harmony

Chords in A♭ Ionian ♯5

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
I+A♭maj7♯5A♭ C E G
iiB♭m7B♭ D♭ F A♭
IIIC7C E G B♭
IVD♭maj7D♭ F A♭ C
♯v°E°7E G B♭ D♭
viFm(maj7)F A♭ C E
vii°Gm7♭5G B♭ D♭ F
Context

Where A♭ Ionian ♯5 fits

Over maj7♯5 chords: a rare colour in jazz and neoclassical lines.

A♭ Ionian ♯5 is mode 3 of the harmonic minor family. The same notes played from each of its other degrees give the family's other modes:

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Ionian ♯5 scale in every key

A♭ Ionian ♯5 scale questions

What notes are in the A♭ Ionian ♯5 scale?

A♭ B♭ C D♭ E F G. As degrees from the root: 1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7.

What is the A♭ Ionian ♯5 scale formula?

1 2 3 4 ♯5 6 7, or in steps between the notes, W W H 1½ H W H (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the A♭ Ionian ♯5 scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of A♭ Ionian ♯5 up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape to the A shape.

What chords are in the A♭ Ionian ♯5 scale?

A♭maj7♯5 (I+), B♭m7 (ii), C7 (III), D♭maj7 (IV), E°7 (♯v°), Fm(maj7) (vi), Gm7♭5 (vii°).

When is the A♭ Ionian ♯5 scale used?

Over maj7♯5 chords: a rare colour in jazz and neoclassical lines.