STRINGSCALES

E♭ locrian major Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: F, G, Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db, Eb at frets 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11

A string: Bbb, Cb, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bbb at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12

D string: Eb, F, G, Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db at frets 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11

G string: G, Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db, Eb, F, G at frets 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

B string: Cb, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bbb, Cb at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12

High E string: F, G, Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db, Eb at frets 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11

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Eb locrian major

The major locrian scale, catalogued in older collections as the arabian scale, starts like a major scale (natural 2nd and 3rd, 4th) and collapses into locrian from the flat 5th upward. The bright opening makes the diminished top half hit harder. It also functions as the fifth mode of the neapolitan major scale, and suits dominant chords with both altered 5ths.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

E♭

I

E♭majb5
F

ii°

Fdim
G

III

B𝄫7no5/G
A♭

iv

A♭m
B𝄫

bV+

B𝄫aug
C♭

bVI+

C♭aug
D♭

bVII

D♭maj

Same notes, different mode

Eb locrian major 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 major locrianF half-diminished b4G altered dominant double b3Ab neapolitan majorA leading whole toneCb lydian augmented dominantDb lydian dominant b6

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

tip
  • Start lines like plain Eb major (II, III, IV all natural), then let the collapse from b5 (A) onward land the tension; the contrast is the scale.
  • Catalogued in older books as the arabian scale: over a root drone, the bright-then-diminished shape reads instantly exotic.
  • Use it over a dominant chord with altered 5ths; the major 3rd (G) and flat 7th (Db) hold the center while b5 (A) and b6 (B) pull down.
  • The natural 4th (Ab) beside the flat 5th (A) is a free chromatic slide; use it as the pivot between the scale's two halves.

How to play E♭ locrian major on guitar

Open A rings as Bbb here and the open B as Cb, which means neither can act as a root or fifth under Eb. Open G supplies the major third. Roots begin at fret 1 on the D string, the nearest one to the nut, then fret 4 on the B and fret 6 on the A. Capo fret 1 and the D fingerings map onto this key, letting you borrow a shape you already run.

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