Guitar scale · Locrian mode
C# Locrian Scale
The most unstable mode. Contains a diminished 5th (♭5) for sinister metal riffs.
Tap any note to hear it.
C# 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|---------------------------------------9-10-12-| B|---------------------------------10-12---------| G|-------------------------9-11-12---------------| D|-----------------9-11-12-----------------------| A|---------9-10-12-------------------------------| E|-9-10-12---------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-15-| B|----------------------------------12-14-15----------| G|-------------------------11-12-14-------------------| D|----------------11-12-14----------------------------| A|----------12-14-------------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-17-| B|----------------------------------14-15-17----------| G|----------------------------14-16-------------------| D|-------------------14-16-17-------------------------| A|----------14-16-17----------------------------------| E|-14-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-| B|----------------------------------17-19-20-------| G|-------------------------16-18-19----------------| D|----------------16-17-19-------------------------| A|-------16-17-19----------------------------------| E|-17-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-21-22-| B|----------------------------------19-20-22----------| G|-------------------------18-19-21-------------------| D|-------------------19-21----------------------------| A|----------19-21-22----------------------------------| E|-19-21-22-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Locrian on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 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 9–13. 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.
C# Locrian uses exactly the same notes as D major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the D Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C# |
| ♭2 | D |
| ♭3 | E |
| 4 | F# |
| ♭5 | G |
| ♭6 | A |
| ♭7 | B |
Chords in C# Locrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Locrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | C#dim | C#m7b5 | Tonic |
| ♭II | D | Dmaj7 | Supertonic |
| ♭iii | Em | Em7 | Mediant |
| iv | F#m | F#m7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | G | Gmaj7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | A | A7 | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Bm | Bm7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# Locrian 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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- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
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One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the C# Locrian Scale?
- The C# Locrian Scale has 7 notes: C#, D, E, F#, G, A, B.
- What chords are in the C# Locrian Scale?
- The chords of C# Locrian are C#dim (i°), D (♭II), Em (♭iii), F#m (iv), G (♭V), A (♭VI), Bm (♭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 C# Locrian on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.