Playing C Locrian from the 8th Fret
C, Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab and Bb make up the C Locrian scale, the last of the seven modes of Db major. Both the Db and the Gb sit close to the tonic, which is why the sound is unsettled.
Without an open string to lean on, find the root on the 8th fret of the low E string or the 3rd fret of the A string. Over a Cdim chord, or a Cm7(b5) chord, this is the scale that fits. Slow practice with the three notes per string exercise helps you learn it.
Play the C locrian scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the C locrian scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Db | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| Eb | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| F | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| Gb | b5 | Tritone | 6 |
| Ab | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| Bb | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
C 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.
C Locrian Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (B)
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 C 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
