Guitar scale · exotic
C# Major Locrian Scale
Locrian with a major 2nd and a major 3rd: 1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7. Mode 5 of Neapolitan Major, also called Arabian.
Tap any note to hear it.
C# Major 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|----------------------------------------9-11-13-| B|----------------------------------10-12---------| G|-------------------------10-11-12---------------| D|-----------------9-11-13------------------------| A|---------9-10-12--------------------------------| E|-9-11-13----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------12-14-------------| G|----------------------------11-12-14-------------------| D|-------------------11-13-15----------------------------| A|-------------12-14-------------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-15-17-| B|-------------------------------------14-16-------------| G|-------------------------------14-16-------------------| D|-------------------13-15-16-17-------------------------| A|-------------14-16-------------------------------------| E|-13-14-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-| B|----------------------------------18-19-20-------| G|-------------------------16-18-20----------------| D|----------------16-17-19-------------------------| A|-------16-18-20----------------------------------| E|-17-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-21-| B|----------------------------------19-20-22-------| G|-------------------------18-20-22----------------| D|-------------------19-21-------------------------| A|-------18-20-21-22-------------------------------| E|-19-21-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Major 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.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | C# |
| 2 | D# |
| 3 | E# |
| 4 | F# |
| ♭5 | G |
| ♭6 | A |
| ♭7 | B |
Chords in C# Major Locrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Major Locrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ii° | D#dim | D#m7b5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | F#m | F#m(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Gaug | Gmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Aaug | — | Submediant |
| ♭VII | B | B7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C# Major 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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Questions
- What notes are in the C# Major Locrian Scale?
- The C# Major Locrian Scale has 7 notes: C#, D#, E#, F#, G, A, B.
- What chords are in the C# Major Locrian Scale?
- The chords of C# Major Locrian are D#dim (ii°), F#m (iv), Gaug (♭V+), Aaug (♭VI+), B (♭VII).
- What is the formula of the major locrian scale?
- 1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W H H W W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play C# Major 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.