The Locrian mode is the seventh mode of the major scale, built from the pattern H–W–W–H–W–W–W, or 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 semitones. B Locrian is B, C, D, E, F, G, A, and it sounds tense and unstable because its 5th is diminished, a tritone above the root.
What is the Locrian mode?
The Locrian mode is the seventh mode of the major scale, built from the pattern half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, or in semitones, 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10. B Locrian is B, C, D, E, F, G, A, the notes of the C major scale starting on B. It sounds tense and unstable, because its 5th is diminished, a tritone above the root, which gives the scale a dark, uneasy quality that no other mode has. The Locrian mode is the least used mode in popular music, because it is so unstable: its tonic chord is diminished, B, D, F, which cannot be a home chord, and its 5th is a tritone, which pulls the ear in two directions at once. But it has important uses in jazz, where it fits over a half-diminished chord, and in metal, where its darkness is the point. The Locrian mode is also the theoretical key to understanding why the vii chord of a major key is diminished, and why it pulls so strongly back to the tonic. The B locrian scale shows the notes, and the B diminished guitar chord is the tonic chord it builds.
How the Locrian mode works
Compare Locrian with the natural minor scale on the same root, and two notes differ: the 2nd and the 5th. B natural minor is B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A, while B Locrian is B, C, D, E, F, G, A. The 3rd is minor in both, the 6th is minor in both, and the 7th is minor in both, and the 2nd drops from major to minor and the 5th drops from perfect to diminished. Those two lowered notes are what give Locrian its character: the scale sounds minor, but the minor 2nd adds darkness and the diminished 5th adds instability, and the tonic chord is diminished, which cannot be stable. The Locrian mode fits over a half-diminished chord, which is why jazz players use it: the vii chord of a major key is a half-diminished 7th chord, and the Locrian mode is the scale that fits it. In a ii–V–I progression in C major, the vii chord is Bm7b5, and the B Locrian scale, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, fits it, because every note of the scale is a note of the chord or an extension of it. The Bm7b5 guitar chord is the chord Locrian belongs to, and the key of C major shows where it lives.
Worked example — E Locrian. E Locrian is the seventh mode of the F major scale, so it contains the notes F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, starting on E: E, F, G, A, Bb, C, D, spelled E, F, G, A, A#, C, D in the sharp-only system used by ChordFlow. Compare it with E natural minor, E, F#, G, A, B, C, D, and two notes differ: the 2nd drops from F# to F, and the 5th drops from B to Bb. The diminished 5th, Bb, is a tritone above E, and it is the note that makes the scale sound so unstable. The E locrian scale shows the notes, and the Em7b5 guitar chord is the chord it fits.
How to practise the Locrian mode
Practise Locrian by comparing it with natural minor on the same root, so your ear learns the two notes that make the mode what it is.
- Play the B natural minor scale and then the B locrian scale, and listen for the 2nd dropping from C# to C and the 5th dropping from F# to F.
- Improvise over a Bm7b5 chord using the B Locrian scale, and notice how the diminished 5th, F, sounds tense and unstable against the chord.
- Play the modes of C major in order, and stop on Locrian, listening for the darkest, most unstable sound of all seven modes.
- On guitar, learn the Locrian shape in one position, then move it to a new root and name the parent major scale it comes from.
- Use the scale finder to find the Locrian mode of any major scale, and check that its 2nd is minor and its 5th is diminished.
Common mistakes
- Playing natural minor instead of Locrian — The natural minor scale has a major 2nd and a perfect 5th, while Locrian has a minor 2nd and a diminished 5th, and using the wrong notes over a half-diminished chord will clash on both counts. Check the 2nd and the 5th before you play.
- Forgetting the parent major scale — Locrian is the seventh mode of a major scale, so B Locrian comes from C major, not from B major. If you build Locrian from the major scale on the same root, you will get the wrong notes.
- Using Locrian as a home scale — Locrian is too unstable to be the home scale of a piece, because its tonic chord is diminished. It works over a half-diminished chord in passing, but a song that starts and ends in Locrian will sound unfinished.
Quick reference
This table lists the Locrian mode in six keys, with the parent major scale in the last column so you can see that each Locrian scale comes from the major scale a semitone below it. B Locrian comes from C major, E Locrian comes from F major, and the pattern holds for every row: the parent major scale is always a semitone below the Locrian root.
| Locrian mode | Notes | Parent major scale |
|---|---|---|
| B Locrian | B – C – D – E – F – G – A | C major |
| E Locrian | E – F – G – A – A# – C – D | F major |
| F# Locrian | F# – G – A – B – C – D – E | G major |
| C# Locrian | C# – D – E – F# – G – A – B | D major |
| G# Locrian | G# – A – B – C# – D – E – F# | A major |
| A# Locrian | A# – B – C# – D# – E – F# – G# | B major |
Work through the table by building each Locrian scale from its parent major scale, starting the parent scale on its seventh degree, and checking your answers against the rows. When you can do that without looking, compare each Locrian scale with the natural minor scale on the same root, and name the lowered 2nd and 5th in each case.
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in B Locrian?
B, C, D, E, F, G, A. They are the notes of the C major scale starting on B, and the interval pattern is 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 semitones above the root.
How is Locrian different from natural minor?
Two notes: the 2nd and the 5th. Locrian has a minor 2nd and a diminished 5th, while natural minor has a major 2nd and a perfect 5th. In B Locrian the 2nd is C and the 5th is F, while in B natural minor they are C# and F#.
What chord does Locrian fit over?
A half-diminished 7th chord, especially the vii chord of a major key. Locrian is the scale for the vii chord, and it fits Bm7b5 in the key of C major, F#m7b5 in the key of G major, and C#m7b5 in the key of D major.
Where is the Locrian mode used?
In jazz, over half-diminished chords, and in metal, where its darkness is the point. It is the least used mode in popular music, because its tonic chord is diminished and cannot be stable, but it is essential for understanding the vii chord.
Is Locrian major or minor?
Minor, because its 3rd is minor, three semitones above the root. The minor 2nd and the diminished 5th make it sound darker and more unstable than the natural minor scale, but the minor 3rd is what decides the quality, and it is minor.