STRINGSCALES

F♯ locrian Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

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

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

D string: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C, D at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

G string: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12

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

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

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F# 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:

F♯

i°

F♯dim
G

bII

Gmaj
A

biii

Am
B

iv

Bm
C

bV

Cmaj
D

bVI

Dmaj
E

bvii

Em

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

Same notes, different mode

F# 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.

G major · relative majorA dorianB phrygianC lydianD mixolydianE minor · relative minor

locrian in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

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

How to play F♯ locrian on guitar

Every open string falls inside this key, so you can leave strings ringing while you shift and nothing fights the line. Capo at fret 2 and the grip becomes E locrian, which means one familiar shape covers the whole thing. Both E strings put a root at fret 2. Box one hands over at fret 6, so the barre at fret 9 picks up where the first position leaves off.

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