Guitar scale · Locrian mode
Bb Locrian Scale
The most unstable mode. Contains a diminished 5th (♭5) for sinister metal riffs.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Locrian Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------6-7-9-| B|-------------------------7-9-------| G|-------------------6-8-9-----------| D|-------------6-8-9-----------------| A|-------6-7-9-----------------------| E|-6-7-9-----------------------------|
e|------------------------------------9-11-12-| B|----------------------------9-11-12---------| G|---------------------8-9-11-----------------| D|--------------8-9-11------------------------| A|---------9-11-------------------------------| E|-9-11-12------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-| B|----------------------------------11-12-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-------------------| D|-------------------11-13-14-------------------------| A|----------11-13-14----------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-| B|----------------------------------14-16-17-------| G|-------------------------13-15-16----------------| D|----------------13-14-16-------------------------| A|-------13-14-16----------------------------------| E|-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-19-| B|----------------------------------16-17-19----------| G|-------------------------15-16-18-------------------| D|-------------------16-18----------------------------| A|----------16-18-19----------------------------------| E|-16-18-19-------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Locrian on guitar
Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, ♭5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 6–10. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Bb Locrian uses exactly the same notes as Cb major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. On the guitar those are the same frets as B major, the name it is listed under here. See the B Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb |
| ♭2 | Cb |
| ♭3 | Db |
| 4 | Eb |
| ♭5 | Fb |
| ♭6 | Gb |
| ♭7 | Ab |
Chords in Bb Locrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Locrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | Bbdim | Bbm7b5 | Tonic |
| ♭II | Cb | Cbmaj7 | Supertonic |
| ♭iii | Dbm | Dbm7 | Mediant |
| iv | Ebm | Ebm7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | Fb | Fbmaj7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Gb | Gb7 | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Abm | Abm7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise Bb Locrian anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Locrian Scale?
- The Bb Locrian Scale has 7 notes: Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb, Gb, Ab.
- What chords are in the Bb Locrian Scale?
- The chords of Bb Locrian are Bbdim (i°), Cb (♭II), Dbm (♭iii), Ebm (iv), Fb (♭V), Gb (♭VI), Abm (♭vii).
- What is the formula of the locrian scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W W H W W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Locrian on the guitar?
- The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.