STRINGSCALES

E locrian Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

A string: A, Bb, C, D, E, F, G, A at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

D string: D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C, D at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

G string: G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F, G at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

B string: C, D, E, F, G, A, Bb at frets 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11

High E string: E, F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

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E 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°

Edim
F

bII

Fmaj
G

biii

Gm
A

iv

Am
B♭

bV

B♭maj
C

bVI

Cmaj
D

bvii

Dm

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

Same notes, different mode

E 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.

F major · relative majorG dorianA phrygianBb lydianC mixolydianD minor · relative minor

locrian in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

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

How to play E locrian on guitar

Both E strings ring the tonic open, so a drone is available at either end of the register with no finger down. Open A, D and G belong too. Box one closes at fret 4, which means the entire first shape lives inside the lowest frets, and the B string is the only one outside the scale. Dm is the bvii chord, with the A-shape barre waiting at fret 7 and the E-shape at fret 12.

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