Fretwise Get the app

Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic

E Locrian Natural 6 Scale

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

Notes EFGABbC#D
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

E 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.

E 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 0–4
e|-----------------------------0-1-3-|
B|-------------------------2-3-------|
G|-------------------0-2-3-----------|
D|-------------0-2-3-----------------|
A|-------0-1-4-----------------------|
E|-0-1-3-----------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 2–6
e|-----------------------------3-5-6-|
B|-----------------------3-5-6-------|
G|-----------------2-3-6-------------|
D|-----------2-3-5-------------------|
A|-------4-5-------------------------|
E|-3-5-6-----------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 4–8
e|-----------------------------5-6-|
B|-----------------------5-6-8-----|
G|-------------------6-7-----------|
D|-------------5-7-8---------------|
A|-----4-5-7-8---------------------|
E|-5-6-----------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 7–11
e|-----------------------------------9-10-|
B|---------------------------8-10-11------|
G|--------------------7-9-10--------------|
D|-------------7-8-11---------------------|
A|------7-8-10----------------------------|
E|-9-10-----------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 9–13
e|-----------------------------------------9-10-12-13-|
B|-----------------------------------10-11------------|
G|---------------------------9-10-12------------------|
D|---------------------11-12--------------------------|
A|------------10-12-13--------------------------------|
E|-9-10-12-13-----------------------------------------|

How to play E Locrian Natural 6 on guitar

Find the root first: E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every E 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 0–4. 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 E
♭2 F
♭3 G
4 A
♭5 Bb
6 C#
♭7 D

Chords in E 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 E Locrian Natural 6; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
i° Edim Em7b5 Tonic
♭II+ Faug Fmaj7#5 Supertonic
♭iii Gm Gm7 Mediant
IV A A7 Subdominant
♭V Bb Bbmaj7 Dominant
vi° C#dim C#dim7 Submediant
♭vii Dm Dm(maj7) Leading tone / subtonic

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

Practise E Locrian Natural 6 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.

Free

  • 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
  • A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
  • A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
  • Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz

One purchase

  • 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
  • Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
  • Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
  • No subscription, ads removed

Questions

What notes are in the E Locrian Natural 6 Scale?
The E Locrian Natural 6 Scale has 7 notes: E, F, G, A, Bb, C#, D.
What chords are in the E Locrian Natural 6 Scale?
The chords of E Locrian Natural 6 are Edim (i°), Faug (♭II+), Gm (♭iii), A (IV), Bb (♭V), C#dim (vi°), Dm (♭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 E Locrian Natural 6 on the guitar?
The root E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 0–4, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Locrian Natural 6 Scale in every key

More scales in E