E Locrian mode

The E Locrian mode has 7 notes: E, F, G, A, B♭, C and D. Its formula is 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 and it is built with the steps H W W H W W W.

Notes, formula and steps

The intervals from E are root (E), minor 2nd (F), minor 3rd (G), perfect 4th (A), diminished 5th (B♭), minor 6th (C) and minor 7th (D). Write down the step pattern H W W H W W W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half): it is the fingerprint of the Locrian mode, whatever the starting note. This scale has 1 flat: B♭.

How to play the E Locrian mode on piano

Start on E and play E, F, G, A, B♭, C and D going up, then come back down. Say the note names out loud while you play: it links the sound, the keys and the names. Practise hands separately first, slowly with the metronome, then speed up.

How to play the E Locrian mode on guitar

On guitar, the root E sits at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Start from one of these roots and play the notes of the fretboard map above in order, one string after another. The whole-neck view shows every place the E Locrian mode appears, so you can connect the positions instead of staying in one box.

Chords in the E Locrian mode

Stacking every other note of the scale gives one chord per degree: Edim, F, Gm, Am, B♭, C and Dm. These are the chords you can combine to write a progression that stays in the E Locrian mode.

Relative and parallel scales

The E Locrian mode shares its notes with the F major scale: same notes, different starting point and a different mood. Its parallel scale, on the same root, is the E natural minor scale. Switching between them is a classic way to change colour without changing key.

About the Locrian mode

The most unstable mode: its tonic chord is diminished because of the ♭5. With both a ♭2 and a ♭5, it sounds dark, tense and disorientated, as if the music had no floor. It is rarely used as a home key and works best as a colour over a single chord or as a dissonant riff.

Mostly over half-diminished chords: the iiø7 of a minor ii-V-i (for example Bm7♭5 E7 Am) and the viiø7 of a major key. Some metal bands use it for riffs that hammer the ♭5. In jazz, many players prefer Locrian ♮2, the 6th mode of melodic minor, over m7♭5 chords because its 2nd sounds less harsh.

Play a m7♭5 arpeggio first, then fill in the gaps with the scale. On guitar, play the major-scale shape starting from its 7th degree; on piano, the white keys from B to B give B Locrian. Practise a minor ii-V-i, using Locrian on the iiø7 and harmonic minor on the V7, to hear its function.

The 7th mode of the major scale: formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7, steps H W W H W W W. Locrian is Phrygian with a lowered 5th. Its parent major scale starts a semitone above (B Locrian has the notes of C major). Its tonic triad is diminished and its tonic seventh chord is half-diminished.

Related

• F major scale
• E natural minor scale
• E major scale
• E minor pentatonic scale
• E major pentatonic scale
• E blues scale
• E Dorian mode
• E Mixolydian mode
• Edim
• Em7♭5
• C

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