STRINGSCALES

C locrian pentatonic Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, Gb, Bb, C, Eb at frets 1, 2, 6, 8, 11

A string: Bb, C, Eb, F, Gb at frets 1, 3, 6, 8, 9

D string: Eb, F, Gb, Bb, C at frets 1, 3, 4, 8, 10

G string: Bb, C, Eb, F, Gb at frets 3, 5, 8, 10, 11

B string: C, Eb, F, Gb, Bb at frets 1, 4, 6, 7, 11

High E string: F, Gb, Bb, C, Eb at frets 1, 2, 6, 8, 11

Pick a root note

Pick a scale

C locrian pentatonic

The locrian pentatonic is the minor pentatonic with its 5th flattened: root, flat 3rd, 4th, flat 5th, flat 7th. It spells a m7b5 chord plus the 4th, making it the quickest route to a half-diminished sound in familiar pentatonic fingering. Use it over the ii chord in a minor ii-V, or for deliberately unresolved riffing.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

C

I

E♭

bIII

F

IV

G♭

bV

B♭

bVII

Same notes, different mode

C locrian pentatonic uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

Eb flat three pentatonicF in-sen

locrian pentatonic in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • A m7b5 chord plus the 4th: root, b3 (Eb), IV, b5 (Gb), b7 (Bb); the quickest half-diminished vocabulary in a familiar pentatonic grip.
  • It is the minor pentatonic with the 5th lowered: shift that one finger and every box you know turns half-diminished.
  • Over the ii chord of a minor ii-V in the key a whole step below C, this is the pocket-size choice.
  • Use the b5 (Gb) as a landing tone here (unlike in the blues scale); over m7b5 harmony it is a chord tone, not a passing note.

How to play C locrian pentatonic on guitar

Not one open string belongs to this key, which means every note here is fretted, starting with box one at fret 8. Nearest the nut is fret 1 on the B string, then 3 on the A and 5 on the G. Lowest in pitch is the low E root at 8, so the E-shape barre and box one share a fret. Same grip 5 semitones up is F in-sen.

homeall scalesaboutfaqpricingmicrotonalterms & conditionsprivacy policycookie policy© 2026 StringScales. All rights reserved.