figure question

hi guys,

i was told that this is a 1 - 2- 7- b2 (flat) figure .. can you tell me why? what scale is it ? sorry for the (maybe) stupid question, total beginner ! 

3 minutes ago, Spacefish said:

hi guys,

i was told that this is a 1 - 2- 7- b2 (flat) figure .. can you tell me why? what scale is it ? sorry for the (maybe) stupid question, total beginner ! 

 

Yeah, so not gonna lie this is a really confusing question.
If "F" is the 1st scale degree, then I'm inclined to say you're in F major, but since there's nothing in the key signature what means it might be F lydian. Anyways, assume it's F something.
Scale degrees are just assigned to notes in that scale regardless of octave. i.e.:
1: F
2: G
3: A
4: Bb
5: C
6: D
7: E
Note that these names obviously shift depending on your scale. For example, if you were in D major instead of F major, 1 would be D and 2 would E, etc.
The reason why the third note in the pattern is 7 is simply because it is a minor second (E) below the tonic (F), which is the inverse of the major seventh which is also E. If you look at the chart the note a seventh above the tonic is E in this case.
The last note is considered flat because we already know that G is the second scale degree, so if it's flat, the scale degree must also be flattened. We don't call this a sharp 1 (#1) because the base note is still G.