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Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic

D Locrian Natural 6 Scale

Mode 2 of Harmonic Minor: Locrian with a natural 6th.

Notes DEbFGAbBC
Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7
Steps H W W H W+H H W
Mood Dark, Tense, Unusual
Heard in Modal Improvisation, Jazz

Interactive scale diagram

D Locrian Natural 6 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.

D Locrian Natural 6 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 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-|
B|-------------------------------------12-13----------|
G|----------------------------10-12-13----------------|
D|-------------------10-12-13-------------------------|
A|----------10-11-14----------------------------------|
E|-10-11-13-------------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 12–16
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-16-|
B|----------------------------------13-15-16----------|
G|-------------------------12-13-16-------------------|
D|----------------12-13-15----------------------------|
A|----------14-15-------------------------------------|
E|-13-15-16-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 14–18
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-|
B|----------------------------------15-16-18-------|
G|----------------------------16-17----------------|
D|-------------------15-17-18----------------------|
A|-------14-15-17-18-------------------------------|
E|-15-16-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 17–21
e|-------------------------------------------19-20-|
B|----------------------------------18-20-21-------|
G|-------------------------17-19-20----------------|
D|----------------17-18-21-------------------------|
A|-------17-18-20----------------------------------|
E|-19-20-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 19–22
e|-------------------------------------19-20-22-|
B|-------------------------------20-21----------|
G|----------------------19-20-22----------------|
D|----------------21-22-------------------------|
A|----------20-22-------------------------------|
E|-19-20-22-------------------------------------|

How to play D Locrian Natural 6 on guitar

Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–14. 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 D
♭2 Eb
♭3 F
4 G
♭5 Ab
6 B
♭7 C

Chords in D Locrian Natural 6

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Locrian Natural 6; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
i° Ddim Dm7b5 Tonic
♭II+ Ebaug Ebmaj7#5 Supertonic
♭iii Fm Fm7 Mediant
IV G G7 Subdominant
♭V Ab Abmaj7 Dominant
vi° Bdim Bdim7 Submediant
♭vii Cm Cm(maj7) Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the D Locrian Natural 6 Scale?
The D Locrian Natural 6 Scale has 7 notes: D, Eb, F, G, Ab, B, C.
What chords are in the D Locrian Natural 6 Scale?
The chords of D Locrian Natural 6 are Ddim (i°), Ebaug (♭II+), Fm (♭iii), G (IV), Ab (♭V), Bdim (vi°), Cm (♭vii).
What is the formula of the locrian natural 6 scale?
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W W H W+H H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play D Locrian Natural 6 on the guitar?
The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Locrian Natural 6 Scale in every key

More scales in D