ArpeggiosEN

Scale

A♯ locrian ♮2

Melodic minor modes

Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Notes
A♯ B♯ C♯ D♯ E F♯ G♯

Notation

4412♭34♭5♭6♭71

Fretboard — frets 0–24

A♯ locrian ♮2 — frets 0 to 24, 86 notes, roots in orange♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭6♭712♭34♭52♭34♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭6♭71♭712♭34♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭64♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭6♭712♭312♭34♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭6♭7♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭6♭712♭34♭50123456789101112131415161718192021222324
A♯ locrian ♮2 — frets 0 to 24, 86 notes, roots in orange♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭6♭712♭34♭52♭34♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭6♭71♭712♭34♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭64♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭6♭712♭312♭34♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭6♭7♭5♭6♭712♭34♭5♭6♭712♭34♭50123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Degrees

DegreeNoteIntervalSemitonesRole
1A♯perfect unison0The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves.
2B♯major second2The major second — a bright neighbour a whole step above the root; in sus2 it replaces the third, so the chord commits to neither major nor minor.
♭3C♯minor third3The minor third — the dark counterpart of the major third; it turns a shape minor and colours m, m7 and the minor scales.
4D♯perfect fourth5The perfect fourth — stable yet suspended; in sus4 it takes the third's place and leaves the chord hanging.
♭5Ediminished fifth6The diminished fifth — a flattened fifth that destabilises the chord; dim, m7♭5 and locrian are built on it.
♭6F♯minor sixth8The minor sixth — the dark sixth of aeolian, harmonic minor and mixolydian ♭6; it adds a classical, mournful weight.
♭7G♯minor seventh10The minor seventh — the dominant's engine; a whole step under the root, it turns a triad into a 7 chord and drives the resolution.

About this scale

Locrian natural two is the sixth degree of melodic minor: the locrian shape with a raised second, which removes the flat second's harshness and turns the scale into a smoother half-diminished sound. It is the scale of the m7♭5 chord when a natural ninth is wanted, and jazz players use it over half-diminished chords that are not resolving through a minor ii–V. The flat fifth remains, so the instability is still there, but the natural second gives the ear a gentler way in. Listen for the natural second against the flat fifth — tension with a softer edge.

How to practise this scale

  • Play the natural second against the flat fifth and hold the softer tension.
  • Improvise over an m7♭5 chord that does not resolve through a minor cadence.
  • Compare it with locrian and hear what the raised second changes.
  • Play the scale slowly and listen for the natural ninth colour.