B LocrianScale

Formula

H W W H W W W 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
The family

B Locrian on the chromatic circle

B Locrian is the 7th mode of the Major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W W H W W W H ♭2 CI Ionian ♭3 DII Dorian 4 EIII Phrygian ♭5 FIV Lydian ♭6 GV Mixolydian ♭7 AVI Aeolian 1 BVII Locrian B Locrian
The whole neck

B Locrian across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6
Harmony

Chords in B Locrian

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
i°Bm7♭5B D F A
♭IICmaj7C E G B
♭iiiDm7D F A C
ivEm7E G B D
♭VFmaj7F A C E
♭VIG7G B D F
♭viiAm7A C E G
Context

Where B Locrian fits

The darkest mode, built on a diminished chord: over m7♭5 chords in jazz and in some metal riffs. Rarely a home key.

B Locrian is mode 7 of the major family. The same notes played from each of its other degrees give the family's other modes:

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Locrian scale in every key

B Locrian scale questions

What notes are in the B Locrian scale?

B C D E F G A. As degrees from the root: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7.

What is the B Locrian scale formula?

1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7, or in steps between the notes, H W W H W W W (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the B Locrian scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of B Locrian up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape.

What chords are in the B Locrian scale?

Bm7♭5 (i°), Cmaj7 (♭II), Dm7 (♭iii), Em7 (iv), Fmaj7 (♭V), G7 (♭VI), Am7 (♭vii).

When is the B Locrian scale used?

The darkest mode, built on a diminished chord: over m7♭5 chords in jazz and in some metal riffs. Rarely a home key.