The seventh and darkest mode — a minor scale with both a flat 2nd and a flat 5th, so it never fully resolves. Unstable and dissonant, it is the "outside" sound in metal and jazz over half-diminished chords.
🎸 See this scale on the fretboard & hear it — free interactive finder →| Scale | 1 | ♭2 | ♭3 | 4 | ♭5 | ♭6 | ♭7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Locrian | A | A# | C | D | D# | F | G |
| E Locrian | E | F | G | A | A# | C | D |
| C Locrian | C | C# | D# | F | F# | G# | A# |
| G Locrian | G | G# | A# | C | C# | D# | F |
| D Locrian | D | D# | F | G | G# | A# | C |
Locrian = major scale from its 7th degree, and it is the only mode built on a diminished (♭5) tonic. Use it over m7♭5 (half-diminished) chords rather than as a home key.
Rare as a home key — heard in dissonant/technical metal (Björk's "Army of Me" riff, some Metallica and death-metal passages) and jazz over half-diminished chords.
🎛️ Pick any key & play it on the interactive fretboard →The Locrian Mode follows the formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7. For example, in the key of A it is A A# C D D# F G.
The seventh and darkest mode — a minor scale with both a flat 2nd and a flat 5th, so it never fully resolves. Unstable and dissonant, it is the "outside" sound in metal and jazz over half-diminished chords.
Rare as a home key — heard in dissonant/technical metal (Björk's "Army of Me" riff, some Metallica and death-metal passages) and jazz over half-diminished chords.
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