A# Locrian Guitar Scale

A# Locrian Scale — Notes and Intervals

The A# Locrian scale is the seventh and most unstable mode of the major scale. On Guitar, the notes are A#, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#. It sounds highly dissonant and unresolved, as its home chord is a diminished triad. While rare as a primary key, it is a crucial technical tool for jazz musicians improvising over half-diminished chords in tension-heavy passages. The diatonic chords of A# Locrian are A#m7b5, BMaj7, C#m7, D#m7, EMaj7, F#7, G#m7. Commonly used in Jazz, Metal, Experimental, Avant-Garde. Notable players include John Coltrane, Meshuggah, Dream Theater. Use over m7b5 (half-diminished) chords. Essential for jazz ii-V-i in minor keys where the ii chord is half-diminished.

Notes: A#, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#

Intervals: 1P, 2m, 3m, 4P, 5d, 6m, 7m

Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

Formula: H-W-W-H-W-W-W

Number of notes: 7

Diatonic Chords

A♯m7♭5 — BMaj7 — C♯m7 — D♯m7 — EMaj7 — F♯7 — G♯m7

Musical Character

The only mode with a diminished 5th (b5) from the root, making its home chord a diminished triad. This instability means Locrian is almost never used as a key center — it is a tool for tension. The tritone axis between the tonic and b5 can be exploited by using the triad built on the b5 as a substitute dominant chord.

Genres & Notable Artists

Genres: Jazz, Metal, Experimental, Avant-Garde

Notable players: John Coltrane, Meshuggah, Dream Theater

How to Use the A# Locrian Scale

Use over m7b5 (half-diminished) chords. Essential for jazz ii-V-i in minor keys where the ii chord is half-diminished.

Origin & Background

Named after the Locrians of ancient Greece. Considered 'unusable' for centuries until jazz musicians found its purpose over half-diminished chords.

How to Play A# Locrian on Guitar

Place your index finger at fret 6 on the 6th (low E) to find your A# root note. Use a three-notes-per-string fingering to cover the full scale in one position, or learn the CAGED shapes to navigate the entire fretboard. An alternative starting point is 1st fret on the A string.

The A# Locrian scale contains 5 sharps (A#, C#, D#, F#, G#). Its relative major is C# major, which shares the same key signature.

Practice Routine — Exercises for Playing

Begin by playing the A# Locrian scale ascending and descending at 100 BPM using a metronome, one note per beat. Once comfortable, practice in thirds (A#-C#, B-D#) to build intervallic familiarity. Spend 5 minutes daily on this pattern before increasing tempo by 10 BPM.

Try these progressions with the A# Locrian scale: A#m7b5 - D#m7 - EMaj7 - A#m7b5 (I-IV-V-I) or A#m7b5 - BMaj7 - D#m7 - EMaj7 for a more stepwise movement. This scale is especially effective in jazz contexts.

Guitar Tips

Use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) when playing the A# Locrian scale on guitar to access wider intervals and string skips that a pick alone cannot handle efficiently. Aim for a unstable quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.

Related Scales

Locrian is the 7th mode of the Major scale. View A# Major scale

• A# Locrian #2
• A# Locrian pentatonic
• A# Ultralocrian

The A# Locrian scale contains 7 notes (A#, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#). Use the interactive fretboard diagram above to explore each shape and pattern on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges. Practice ascending and descending from the root note to learn the sound of this scale.

CAGED Positions & Patterns for A# Locrian

The A# Locrian scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 7-note scale, it also lends itself to 3-notes-per-string (3NPS) patterns that facilitate legato playing and diagonal shifting. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.

Explore A# Locrian Further

• Harmonize the A# Locrian scale — triads & 7th chords
• Browse chord progressions
• A# Locrian on Ukulele
• A# Locrian on Bass
• A# Locrian on Piano

Explore A# Locrian in Other Tunings

• A# Locrian in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
• A# Locrian in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
• A# Locrian in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
• A# Locrian in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
• A# Locrian in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
• A# Locrian in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
• A# Locrian in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
• A# Locrian in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
• A# Locrian in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
• A# Locrian in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
• A# Locrian in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
• A# Locrian in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
• A# Locrian in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
• A# Locrian in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)

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