A Locrian Scale

72 scales in every key on a map of the whole neck: positions, patterns, and every note played as it lights up.

The A Locrian scale has 7 notes: A – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F – G. Locrian is the darkest mode: a minor scale with a ♭2 and a ♭5, built on the 7th note of the major scale. Its root chord is diminished, so it is used for tension rather than as a home key.

Compared with the A major scale it has ♭2 (B♭ instead of B), ♭3 (C instead of C♯), ♭5 (E♭ instead of E), ♭6 (F instead of F♯), ♭7 (G instead of G♯).

The explorer above is set to A Locrian: the whole neck is mapped, and you can zoom into any of its 7 positions, change the labels to degrees or fingers, and hear it up, down and in patterns.

A Locrian scale notes

Degree	Note	Interval from A	Frets above the root	Sargam
1	A	R	0	S
♭2	B♭	m2	1	r
♭3	C	m3	3	g
4	D	P4	5	M
♭5	E♭	d5	6	M'
♭6	F	m6	8	d
♭7	G	m7	10	n

Steps between the notes: H W W H W W W (W = two frets, H = one fret). Start on any A and follow those steps up one string to play the scale.

A Locrian scale positions on the guitar

With three notes on every string, A Locrian has seven patterns that climb the neck. Position 1 starts on A on the low E string at fret 5; each next position starts on the next note of the scale. In standard tuning, high string first:

Position	E (1st)	B	G	D	A	E (6th)
Position 1 frets 5–10	6 8 10	6 8 10	5 7 8	5 7 8	5 6 8	5 6 8
Position 2 frets 6–11	8 10 11	8 10 11	7 8 10	7 8 10	6 8 10	6 8 10
Position 3 frets 8–13	10 11 13	10 11 13	8 10 12	8 10 12	8 10 12	8 10 11
Position 4 frets 10–15	11 13 15	11 13 15	10 12 14	10 12 13	10 12 13	10 11 13
Position 5 frets 11–17	13 15 17	13 15 16	12 14 15	12 13 15	12 13 15	11 13 15
Position 6 frets 13–18	15 17 18	15 16 18	14 15 17	13 15 17	13 15 17	13 15 17
Position 7 frets 15–20	17 18 20	16 18 20	15 17 19	15 17 19	15 17 18	15 17 18

Chords in the A Locrian scale

Stacking every other note of the scale on each degree gives these chords. They are the chords a song in A Locrian is made from, and the chords this scale fits over.

	i°	♭II	♭iii	iv	♭V	♭VI	♭vii
Triad	Adim	B♭	Cm	Dm	E♭	F	Gm
7th chord	Am7♭5	B♭maj7	Cm7	Dm7	E♭maj7	F7	Gm7

Where you hear it

A Locrian is used in jazz (over m7♭5 chords) and metal. It sounds best over half-diminished (m7♭5) chords.

Backing tracks to practise A Locrian

A minor blues A minor rock A minor funk Am metal Am Bollywood

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 5–10) slowly, up and down, saying the note names.
Play it with the pattern set to In 3s, then In 4s, at a tempo where every note is clean.
Learn position 2 and how it joins position 1: the notes they share are where your hand moves.
Switch the labels to degrees and find every A (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on A.