ArpeggiosEN

Scale

B locrian

Major scale modes

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

Notation

441♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71

Fretboard — frets 0–24

B locrian — frets 0 to 24, 90 notes, roots in orange4♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭341♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭3♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭74♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭340123456789101112131415161718192021222324
B locrian — frets 0 to 24, 90 notes, roots in orange4♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭341♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭3♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭74♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭340123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Degrees

DegreeNoteIntervalSemitonesRole
1Bperfect unison0The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves.
♭2Cminor second1The minor second — a half-step above the root and the sharpest tension in the box; phrygian and the altered scale lean on it.
♭3Dminor third3The minor third — the dark counterpart of the major third; it turns a shape minor and colours m, m7 and the minor scales.
4Eperfect fourth5The perfect fourth — stable yet suspended; in sus4 it takes the third's place and leaves the chord hanging.
♭5Fdiminished fifth6The diminished fifth — a flattened fifth that destabilises the chord; dim, m7♭5 and locrian are built on it.
♭6Gminor sixth8The minor sixth — the dark sixth of aeolian, harmonic minor and mixolydian ♭6; it adds a classical, mournful weight.
♭7Aminor 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 is the seventh degree of the major scale and the darkest of the seven: a minor scale with a flattened second and a flattened fifth. The flat fifth is the tritone, sitting right above the root, so the tonic chord of the scale is already unstable — there is no comfortable place to rest. That is exactly why locrian is the sound of the m7♭5 chord and the ii chord in a minor ii–V–i, where it functions as a passing harmony rather than a home. It is rare as a key centre and common as a colour. Listen for the flat fifth and flat second framing the root.

How to practise this scale

  • Play the flat fifth against the root and hold the instability.
  • Improvise over an m7♭5 chord and keep returning to the flat fifth.
  • Compare it with aeolian and hear what lowering the second and fifth does.
  • Play the scale over a half-diminished chord that resolves to a dominant.