Guitar scale · Locrian mode
F Locrian Scale
The most unstable mode. Contains a diminished 5th (♭5) for sinister metal riffs.
Tap any note to hear it.
F 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|-----------------------------1-2-4-| B|-------------------------2-4-------| G|-------------------1-3-4-----------| D|-------------1-3-4-----------------| A|-------1-2-4-----------------------| E|-1-2-4-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-6-7-| B|-----------------------4-6-7-------| G|-----------------3-4-6-------------| D|-----------3-4-6-------------------| A|-------4-6-------------------------| E|-4-6-7-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------6-7-9-| B|-----------------------6-7-9-------| G|-------------------6-8-------------| D|-------------6-8-9-----------------| A|-------6-8-9-----------------------| E|-6-7-9-----------------------------|
e|------------------------------------9-11-| B|----------------------------9-11-12------| G|--------------------8-10-11--------------| D|-------------8-9-11----------------------| A|------8-9-11-----------------------------| E|-9-11------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-14-| B|----------------------------------11-12-14----------| G|-------------------------10-11-13-------------------| D|-------------------11-13----------------------------| A|----------11-13-14----------------------------------| E|-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
How to play F Locrian on guitar
Find the root first: F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F 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 1–5. 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.
F Locrian uses exactly the same notes as Gb major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. On the guitar those are the same frets as F# major, the name it is listed under here. See the F# Major Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | F |
| ♭2 | Gb |
| ♭3 | Ab |
| 4 | Bb |
| ♭5 | Cb |
| ♭6 | Db |
| ♭7 | Eb |
Chords in F Locrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F Locrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i° | Fdim | Fm7b5 | Tonic |
| ♭II | Gb | Gbmaj7 | Supertonic |
| ♭iii | Abm | Abm7 | Mediant |
| iv | Bbm | Bbm7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | Cb | Cbmaj7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Db | Db7 | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Ebm | Ebm7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F 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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One purchase
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- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
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Questions
- What notes are in the F Locrian Scale?
- The F Locrian Scale has 7 notes: F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb.
- What chords are in the F Locrian Scale?
- The chords of F Locrian are Fdim (i°), Gb (♭II), Abm (♭iii), Bbm (iv), Cb (♭V), Db (♭VI), Ebm (♭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 F Locrian on the guitar?
- The root F is at fret 1 on the low E string and fret 8 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 1–5, and four more positions connect it up the neck.