E LocrianScale

Formula

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

E Locrian on the chromatic circle

E 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 FI Ionian ♭3 GII Dorian 4 AIII Phrygian ♭5 B♭IV Lydian ♭6 CV Mixolydian ♭7 DVI Aeolian 1 EVII Locrian E Locrian
The whole neck

E 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 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 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3
Harmony

Chords in E 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°Em7♭5E G B♭ D
♭IIFmaj7F A C E
♭iiiGm7G B♭ D F
ivAm7A C E G
♭VB♭maj7B♭ D F A
♭VIC7C E G B♭
♭viiDm7D F A C
Context

Where E 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.

E 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

E Locrian scale questions

What notes are in the E Locrian scale?

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

What is the E 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 E Locrian scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of E 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 E shape to the D shape to the C shape to the A shape to the G shape.

What chords are in the E Locrian scale?

Em7♭5 (i°), Fmaj7 (♭II), Gm7 (♭iii), Am7 (iv), B♭maj7 (♭V), C7 (♭VI), Dm7 (♭vii).

When is the E 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.