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|-----------------------------2-4-6-| B|-------------------------3-5-------| G|-------------------3-4-5-----------| D|-------------2-4-6-----------------| A|-------2-3-5-----------------------| E|-2-4-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-6-7-8-| B|-------------------------5-7---------| G|-------------------4-5-7-------------| D|-------------4-6-8-------------------| A|---------5-7-------------------------| E|-4-6-7-8-----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------6-7-8-10-| B|---------------------------7-9----------| G|-----------------------7-9--------------| D|--------------6-8-9-10------------------| A|----------7-9---------------------------| E|-6-7-8-10-------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------10-12-| B|-------------------------------11-12-13-------| G|-----------------------9-11-13----------------| D|---------------9-10-12------------------------| A|-------9-11-13--------------------------------| E|-10-12----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-| B|----------------------------------12-13-15-------| G|-------------------------11-13-15----------------| D|-------------------12-14-------------------------| A|-------11-13-14-15-------------------------------| E|-12-14-------------------------------------------|
How to play F# Major Locrian on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 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 2–6. 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 | B |
| ♭5 | C |
| ♭6 | D |
| ♭7 | E |
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° | G#dim | G#m7b5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | Bm | Bm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Caug | Cmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Daug | — | Submediant |
| ♭VII | E | E7 | 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#, B, C, D, E.
- What chords are in the F# Major Locrian Scale?
- The chords of F# Major Locrian are G#dim (ii°), Bm (iv), Caug (♭V+), Daug (♭VI+), E (♭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 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–6, and four more positions connect it up the neck.