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Guitar scale · half-diminished scale

C Locrian Natural 2 Scale

Mode 6 of Melodic Minor: Locrian with a natural 2nd, which softens the most unstable mode.

Notes CDEbFGbAbBb
Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps W H W H W W W
Mood Dark, Smooth, Tense
Heard in Over m7♭5 and m9♭5 chords, Jazz

Interactive scale diagram

C Locrian Natural 2 Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

C Locrian Natural 2 Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 8–12
e|-------------------------------------8-10-11-|
B|--------------------------------9-11---------|
G|------------------------8-10-11--------------|
D|----------------8-10-12----------------------|
A|---------8-9-11------------------------------|
E|-8-10-11-------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-14-|
B|-------------------------------------11-13-------------|
G|----------------------------10-11-13-------------------|
D|-------------------10-12-13----------------------------|
A|-------------11-13-------------------------------------|
E|-10-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 12–16
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-|
B|----------------------------------13-15-16----------|
G|----------------------------13-15-------------------|
D|----------------12-13-15-16-------------------------|
A|----------13-15-------------------------------------|
E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 15–19
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-|
B|----------------------------------16-18-19-------|
G|-------------------------15-17-19----------------|
D|----------------15-16-18-------------------------|
A|-------15-17-18----------------------------------|
E|-16-18-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 17–21
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-|
B|----------------------------------18-19-21-------|
G|-------------------------17-19-20----------------|
D|-------------------18-20-------------------------|
A|-------17-18-20-21-------------------------------|
E|-18-20-------------------------------------------|

How to play C Locrian Natural 2 on guitar

Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 C
2 D
♭3 Eb
4 F
♭5 Gb
♭6 Ab
♭7 Bb

Chords in C Locrian Natural 2

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C Locrian Natural 2; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
i° Cdim Cm7b5 Tonic
ii° Ddim Dm7b5 Supertonic
♭iii Ebm Ebm(maj7) Mediant
iv Fm Fm7 Subdominant
♭V+ Gbaug Gbmaj7#5 Dominant
♭VI Ab Ab7 Submediant
♭VII Bb Bb7 Leading tone / subtonic

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

Practise C Locrian Natural 2 anywhere, even offline.

This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.

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Questions

What notes are in the C Locrian Natural 2 Scale?
The C Locrian Natural 2 Scale has 7 notes: C, D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb.
What chords are in the C Locrian Natural 2 Scale?
The chords of C Locrian Natural 2 are Cdim (i°), Ddim (ii°), Ebm (♭iii), Fm (iv), Gbaug (♭V+), Ab (♭VI), Bb (♭VII).
What is the formula of the locrian natural 2 scale?
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W H W H W W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play C Locrian Natural 2 on the guitar?
The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Locrian Natural 2 Scale in every key

More scales in C