Guitar UpscaleLocrian #2 (Half Diminished) scale on guitar
Locrian #2 is Locrian with a natural second, the sixth mode of melodic minor and the jazz scale for m7b5 chords.
| Notes in A | A B C D Eb F G |
|---|---|
| Formula | 1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 |
| Steps | W H W H W W W (W whole step, H half step) |
| Note count | 7 |
| Style in the app | Special, scale "Locrian Alternative" |
Play the A Locrian #2 scale on the fretboard in Guitar Upscale
About the Locrian #2 (Half Diminished) scale
The notes are root, 2nd, flat 3rd, 4th, flat 5th, flat 6th and flat 7th.
Next to Locrian, its natural 2nd removes the harsh half step above the root, so it sounds smoother over a half diminished chord.
Jazz players use it on the ii chord in a minor ii to V to i, such as Bm7b5 in A minor.
Intervals from the root
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | In A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | A |
| 2 | Major 2nd | 2 | B |
| b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 | C |
| 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 | D |
| b5 | Tritone | 6 | Eb |
| b6 | Minor 6th | 8 | F |
| b7 | Minor 7th | 10 | G |
Chords in the A Locrian #2 scale
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.
| Degree | Triad | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| i° | Adim | Am7b5 |
| ii° | Bdim | Bm7b5 |
| biii | Cm | CmMaj7 |
| iv | Dm | Dm7 |
| bV+ | Ebaug | Ebmaj7#5 |
| bVI | F | F7 |
| bVII | G | G7 |
Same notes, another starting note
Start the A Locrian #2 scale on another of its notes and you get these scales:
- From degree 2 (B): B Diminished Whole Tone scale
- From degree b3 (C): C Melodic Minor scale
- From degree 4 (D): D Javanese scale
- From degree b5 (Eb): Eb Lydian Augmented scale
- From degree b6 (F): F Overtone scale
- From degree b7 (G): G Hindu scale
Locrian #2 scale in every key
| Key | Notes | Play it |
|---|---|---|
| C | C D Eb F Gb Ab Bb | Open |
| C# | C# D# E F# G A B | Open |
| D | D E F G Ab Bb C | Open |
| Eb | Eb F Gb Ab A Cb Db | Open |
| E | E F# G A Bb C D | Open |
| F | F G Ab Bb Cb Db Eb | Open |
| F# | F# G# A B C D E | Open |
| G | G A Bb C Db Eb F | Open |
| G# | G# A# B C# D E F# | Open |
| A | A B C D Eb F G | Open |
| Bb | Bb C Db Eb Fb Gb Ab | Open |
| B | B C# D E F G A | Open |
More Special scales
- Chromatic Scale
- Whole Tone Scale
- Leading Whole Tone
- Diminished (Whole Half)
- Diminished (Half Whole)
- Diminished Whole Tone
- Octatonic Scale
- Augmented Scale
- Enigmatic Scale
- Nine Tone Scale
- Overtone (Lydian Dominant)
- Six Tone Symmetrical
- Altered Scale (Super Locrian)
- Lydian Diminished
- Lydian #2
- Locrian Natural 6
- Ultralocrian
- Ionian #5
- Ten Tone Dominant
- Ten Tone Harmonic
- Ten Tone Minor