STRINGSCALES

E♭ locrian Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: Fb, Gb, Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12

A string: Bbb, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, Ab, Bbb at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12

D string: Eb, Fb, Gb, Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db at frets 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11

G string: Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb at frets 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11

B string: Cb, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, Ab, Bbb, Cb at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

High E string: Fb, Gb, Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12

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Eb locrian

The locrian mode flattens the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th, leaving a diminished chord on the root: the only mode of the major scale with no stable home. That instability is the point. Use it over half-diminished (m7b5) chords in minor ii-V progressions, or in metal where its tritone-against-root tension is a feature rather than a problem.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

E♭

i°

E♭dim
F♭

bII

F♭maj
G♭

biii

G♭m
A♭

iv

A♭m
B𝄫

bV

B𝄫maj
C♭

bVI

C♭maj
D♭

bvii

D♭m

Characteristic notes: A (b5) and E (b2), the flat five and flat two that give locrian its unstable, diminished character.

Same notes, different mode

Eb locrian 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.

Fb major · relative majorGb dorianAb phrygianA lydianCb mixolydianDb minor · relative minor

locrian in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Use Eb locrian over m7b5 chords: arpeggiate root, bIII (Gb), bV (A), bVII (Db) first so the ear accepts the flat 5th as a chord tone.
  • The flat 2nd (E) against the root and the flat 5th (A) against open strings are the darkest intervals here; metal riffs live on exactly those.
  • Resolve somewhere: Eb locrian phrases work best leading into the chord a half step below Eb or into the relative major a half step above the root.
  • Compare with locrian #2 (F#) over the same m7b5 chord; if the b2 (E) clashes with the bass, that natural 2nd is the fix.

How to play E♭ locrian on guitar

Seven flats make this one of the heaviest signatures to read, so clamp a capo at fret 1 and treat the shapes as D locrian. Four open strings still land in the scale. Fret 1 on the D string sets a root beside the nut, while the lowest root waits at fret 11 on the low E, which means you can work either end of the neck. Box one ends at fret 15.

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