GuitarManac

B Locrian scale

Notes in the scaleTap one to hear it and find it on the neck

  1. 1
  2. ♭2
  3. ♭3
  4. 4
  5. ♭5
  6. ♭6
  7. ♭7
Key
CC♯DE♭EFF♯GG♯AB♭B
Scale

Every B Locrian note on the neck.

3579121517EFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGA
B Locrian scale guide

The B Locrian scale

Locrian has a flat 2nd and a flat 5th, so its root chord is diminished. It is unstable and rarely used as a home key, but it fits over half-diminished chords.

It uses the same notes as C major, starting from B instead of C.

Notes
B C D E F G A
Formula
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps
H W W H W W W
W is two frets, H is one fret

B Locrian scale positions

Two common ways to split the neck into positions. CAGED gives five shapes, each built around a chord shape you may already know. Three notes per string gives seven patterns that are faster to play.

CAGED shapes

Five shapes named after the chord shape each one is built around.

  1. 3579121517GABCDEFGABCDEFGA

    A shape

    Frets 2 to 6. Starts on G, the ♭6, on the lowest string. The A shape of C major, the parent scale.
  2. 3579121517ABCDEFGABCDEFGABC

    G shape

    Frets 4 to 8. Starts on A, the ♭7, on the lowest string. The G shape of C major, the parent scale.
  3. 3579121517BCDEFGABCDEFGABCD

    E shape

    Frets 7 to 10. Starts on B, the root, on the lowest string. The E shape of C major, the parent scale.
  4. 3579121517DEFGABCDEFGABCDEF

    D shape

    Frets 9 to 13. Starts on D, the ♭3, on the lowest string. The D shape of C major, the parent scale.
  5. 3579121517EFGABCDEFGABCDEFG

    C shape

    Frets 12 to 15. Starts on E, the 4, on the lowest string. The C shape of C major, the parent scale.

Three notes per string

Seven patterns. Pattern 1 starts on the root on the lowest string.

  1. 3579121517BCDEFGABCDEFGABCDE

    Position 1

    Frets 7 to 12. Starts on B, the root, on the lowest string. Three notes on every string.
  2. 3579121517CDEFGABCDEFGABCDEF

    Position 2

    Frets 8 to 13. Starts on C, the ♭2, on the lowest string. Three notes on every string.
  3. 3579121517DEFGABCDEFGABCDEFG

    Position 3

    Frets 10 to 15. Starts on D, the ♭3, on the lowest string. Three notes on every string.
  4. 3579121517EFGABCDEFGABCDEFGA

    Position 4

    Open strings to fret 5. Starts on E, the 4, on the lowest string. Three notes on every string.
  5. 3579121517FGABCDEFGABCDEFGAB

    Position 5

    Frets 1 to 7. Starts on F, the ♭5, on the lowest string. Three notes on every string.
  6. 3579121517GABCDEFGABCDEFGABC

    Position 6

    Frets 3 to 8. Starts on G, the ♭6, on the lowest string. Three notes on every string.
  7. 3579121517ABCDEFGABCDEFGABCD

    Position 7

    Frets 5 to 10. Starts on A, the ♭7, on the lowest string. Three notes on every string.

Chords in B Locrian

Built from the notes of the scale, so the B Locrian scale works over all of them.