A Locrian Scale: The Tense Mode
The A Locrian scale is A, Bb, C, D, Eb, F and G. It is natural minor with the 2nd and 5th lowered, so there is no perfect fifth above the root, and the chord on A is the diminished Adim.
The open A string is the root, and it returns on the 5th fret of the low E string. Every note comes from Bb major, one half step above A. Few songs stay in this mode for long, but relative and parallel modes shows how to hear it against its neighbours.
Play the A locrian scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the A locrian scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Bb | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| C | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| D | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| Eb | b5 | Tritone | 6 |
| F | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| G | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
A locrian scale notes:
How the locrian scale is built:
The locrian scale is built from the degrees 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7, which gives the step pattern H-W-W-H-W-W-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is mode 7 of the Major Scale, so both scales share the same notes from a different starting point.
A Locrian Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (A)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the A locrian scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Related modes
These scales share the same notes as the locrian scale, starting from a different degree.
The locrian scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
