STRINGSCALES

D locrian dominant Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F#, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb at frets 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11

A string: Bb, C, D, Eb, F#, G, Ab at frets 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11

D string: D, Eb, F#, G, Ab, Bb, C, D at frets 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

G string: G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb, F#, G at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12

B string: C, D, Eb, F#, G, Ab, Bb at frets 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11

High E string: F#, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb at frets 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11

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D locrian dominant

The locrian dominant scale, the fifth mode of the neapolitan minor scale, puts a major 3rd inside an otherwise locrian frame: flat 2nd, flat 5th, flat 6th, flat 7th. It spells a dominant 7th chord with b9, #11 and b13, so it works over heavily altered dominants where the plain altered scale's sharp 9 is not wanted.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

D

I

Dmaj♭5
E♭

bII

E♭maj
F♯

III

A♭7no5/F#
G

iv

Gm
A♭

bV

A♭maj
B♭

bVI+

B♭aug
C

bvii

Cm

Same notes, different mode

D locrian dominant 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 ionian major #2F# ultralocrianG neapolitan minorAb lydian #6Bb mixolydian augmentedC romani minor

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

tip
  • Over a 7b9b13 chord with a #11 available, D locrian dominant supplies every alteration while keeping the plain major 3rd (F#).
  • Anchor lines on III and bVII (C), the guide tones; the b2 (Eb), b5 (Ab) and b6 (Bb) then read as controlled tension instead of wrong notes.
  • Resolve down a half step: the entire scale leans onto the chord one fret below.
  • Compare with the altered scale: this keeps a perfect 4th (G) and drops the #9, a subtly less angry dominant color.

How to play D locrian dominant on guitar

Open D is the root and open G the fourth, so a two-string drone is there before you fret anything. Roots stack at fret 3 on the B string, fret 5 on the A, and fret 7 on the G. Deepest root is fret 10 on the low E, giving box one a base until the next box at fret 14. Three flats, and the bII chord is EbM.

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