B♭ / 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 B♭ Locrian scale has 7 notes: B♭ – C♭ – D♭ – E♭ – F♭ – G♭ – A♭. 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.

B♭ and A♯ are the same pitch, so this page covers both names; the notes are spelled from B♭, the way the key is usually written. Compared with the B♭ major scale it has ♭2 (C♭ instead of C), ♭3 (D♭ instead of D), ♭5 (F♭ instead of F), ♭6 (G♭ instead of G), ♭7 (A♭ instead of A).

The explorer above is set to B♭ 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.

B♭ Locrian scale notes

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

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

B♭ Locrian scale positions on the guitar

With three notes on every string, B♭ Locrian has seven patterns that climb the neck. Position 1 starts on B♭ on the low E string at fret 6; 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 6–11	7 9 11	7 9 11	6 8 9	6 8 9	6 7 9	6 7 9
Position 2 frets 7–12	9 11 12	9 11 12	8 9 11	8 9 11	7 9 11	7 9 11
Position 3 frets 9–14	11 12 14	11 12 14	9 11 13	9 11 13	9 11 13	9 11 12
Position 4 frets 11–16	12 14 16	12 14 16	11 13 15	11 13 14	11 13 14	11 12 14
Position 5 frets 12–18	14 16 18	14 16 17	13 15 16	13 14 16	13 14 16	12 14 16
Position 6 frets 14–19	16 18 19	16 17 19	15 16 18	14 16 18	14 16 18	14 16 18
Position 7 frets 16–21	18 19 21	17 19 21	16 18 20	16 18 20	16 18 19	16 18 19

Chords in the B♭ Locrian scale

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

	i°	♭II	♭iii	iv	♭V	♭VI	♭vii
Triad	B♭dim	C♭	D♭m	E♭m	F♭	G♭	A♭m
7th chord	B♭m7♭5	C♭maj7	D♭m7	E♭m7	F♭maj7	G♭7	A♭m7

Where you hear it

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

Backing tracks to practise B♭ Locrian

B♭ minor blues B♭ minor rock B♭ minor funk

How to practise it

Play position 1 (frets 6–11) 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 B♭ (1) in each position.
Improvise over a backing track, ending your phrases on B♭.