Locrian Mode on guitar

Locrian is the darkest mode of the major scale, with a flat second and a flat fifth over a diminished root chord.

Play A Locrian Mode on the fretboard in Guitar Upscale

About the Locrian Mode

Locrian is the seventh mode of the major scale. B Locrian has the notes of C major, played from B.

Both the 2nd and the 5th are flat, so the root chord is diminished. That makes Locrian unstable: the ear keeps waiting for it to resolve.

In jazz it is the scale for a half diminished chord (m7b5), such as Bm7b5 in a ii to V in A minor. Some metal bands use it for riffs that sound as heavy as possible.

Intervals from the root

Chords in A Locrian Mode

Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each note. These chords sound at home with the scale, so they make good progressions.

Same notes, another starting note

Start the A Locrian Mode scale on another of its notes and you get these scales:

• From degree b2 (Bb): Bb Major Scale (Ionian)
• From degree b3 (C): C Dorian Mode
• From degree 4 (D): D Phrygian Mode
• From degree b5 (Eb): Eb Lydian Mode
• From degree b6 (F): F Mixolydian Mode
• From degree b7 (G): G Natural Minor (Aeolian)

Locrian Mode in every key

More Minor scales

• Natural Minor (Aeolian)
• Harmonic Minor
• Phrygian Mode
• Lydian Minor
• Locrian with a Natural Fifth
• Harmonic Minor Bebop
• Harmonic Minor Bebop with a Raised Fourth
• Melodic Minor
• Dorian Mode
• Minor Pentatonic