Guitar scale · exotic
F 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.
F 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|-----------------------------1-3-5-| B|-------------------------2-4-------| G|-------------------2-3-4-----------| D|-------------1-3-5-----------------| A|-------1-2-4-----------------------| E|-1-3-5-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------3-5-6-7-| B|-------------------------4-6---------| G|-------------------3-4-6-------------| D|-------------3-5-7-------------------| A|---------4-6-------------------------| E|-3-5-6-7-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-6-7-9-| B|-------------------------6-8---------| G|---------------------6-8-------------| D|-------------5-7-8-9-----------------| A|---------6-8-------------------------| E|-5-6-7-9-----------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------9-11-| B|-----------------------------10-11-12------| G|---------------------8-10-12---------------| D|--------------8-9-11-----------------------| A|------8-10-12------------------------------| E|-9-11--------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-13-| B|----------------------------------11-12-14-------| G|-------------------------10-12-14----------------| D|-------------------11-13-------------------------| A|-------10-12-13-14-------------------------------| E|-11-13-------------------------------------------|
How to play F Major 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.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | F |
| 2 | G |
| 3 | A |
| 4 | Bb |
| ♭5 | Cb |
| ♭6 | Db |
| ♭7 | Eb |
Chords in F Major Locrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F Major Locrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ii° | Gdim | Gm7b5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | Bbm | Bbm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Cbaug | Cbmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Dbaug | — | Submediant |
| ♭VII | Eb | Eb7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise F 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 F Major Locrian Scale?
- The F Major Locrian Scale has 7 notes: F, G, A, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb.
- What chords are in the F Major Locrian Scale?
- The chords of F Major Locrian are Gdim (ii°), Bbm (iv), Cbaug (♭V+), Dbaug (♭VI+), Eb (♭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 F Major 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.