Colour key
R234p567Each colour is a scale degree, counted from the key. A ♭ or ♯ note keeps its degree's colour: ♭3 is still amber.
E Locrian
♭5 and ♭2: an unstable diminished tonic. Dissonant; rarely used as a home key.
Where you hear it: Over m7♭5 chords (the ii of a minor ii–V–i).
Step pattern H – W – W – H – W – W – W
- Relative major: F major (this mode starts on its 7th degree)
- Relative minor: D natural minor (starts on the 6th degree of F major)
- Compared with E major: ♭2 F♯ → F, ♭3 G♯ → G, ♭5 B → B♭, ♭6 C♯ → C, ♭7 D♯ → D
- Compared with E natural minor: ♭2 F♯ → F, ♭5 B → B♭
E Locrian on the guitar
Pick a position below to outline it on the neck.
in the pentatonic r ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭7: playedother notes of Locrian: not playedPlay runs up the position from its lowest note and back down; Sample melody plays a short tune using only its notes. Tap a position's name to see it on the neck.
Modes with the same notes as E Locrian
Every chord in E Locrian
- Em7♭51/12easyfret 2
- Fmaj71/20easyopen
- Gm71/18easyfret 3· shell
- Am71/15easyopen
- B♭maj71/20easyfret 6· shell
- C71/22easyopen
- Dm71/18easyopen
Each chord stacks every other note of the scale (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th). Tap a row to hear it.
Iconic progressions in E Locrian
A few well-known chord loops that bring out this scale’s sound. Play one through, or tap a chord to hear it.
i° – ♭II
Locrian is rarely a home key because its tonic chord is diminished. Alternating that chord with the major ♭II, a half step above, is the clearest way to make it sound like home.
♭V – ♭II – i°
The ♭V major chord falls to ♭II, and ♭II falls a half step onto the diminished home chord. Roots moving down is what lets an unstable chord feel like an ending.
Sus and extension chords from each chord
From Edim you can go through the 2nd of the scale to sus2 and 9 chords, through the 4th to sus4 and 11, and so on. All seven chords of E Locrian.
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Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.
Hover a bubble to see it here; click to hear it and keep it.