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7-note scale · also called Locrian mode

The Locrian scale on guitar

The unstable mode: ♭2 and ♭5 make its root chord diminished.

Formula

1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

Step pattern

H – W – W – H – W – W – W

Sounds

unstable, tense and dissonant

Locrian is the seventh mode of the major scale: C major from B to B gives B Locrian. Its formula is 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7.

Because its 5th is flattened, its tonic chord is diminished, which makes it hard to feel like “home”. Whole songs in Locrian are rare, though some metal bands use its ♭2 and ♭5 for riffs.

Its everyday job is jazz: Locrian is the standard choice over a half-diminished (m7♭5) chord, such as the ii chord in a minor ii–V–i.

B Locrian by scale degree

Here is B Locrian across the neck, labelled by scale degree instead of note name. Because guitar shapes are movable, this same pattern works in every key: slide it so the red root lands on the note you want.

EBGDAE4♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭61♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭3♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭7♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭24♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6123456789101112131415

Locrian scale in all 12 keys

Pick a key for its notes, chords and fretboard diagrams.

When to use it

Use the Locrian scale over m7♭5 (half-diminished) chords, the ii chord of a minor key, and heavy metal riffs that avoid resolution.

Practice tip: You will use Locrian far more over a single m7♭5 chord (the ii in a minor ii–V–i) than as the key of a whole song.

Related scales