D Super Locrian Pentatonic Guitar Scale

Guitar scale — fretboard diagramAdvanced

D super locrian pentatonic scale — 6-string guitar fretboard diagramInteractive fretboard diagram showing the D super locrian pentatonic scale on 6-string guitar with 22 frets. Notes: F, Gb, Ab, C, D.FGbAbCDFGbAbCDCDFGbAbCDFGbAbAbCDFGbAbCDFDFGbAbCDFGbAbCCDFGbAbCDFGbFGbAbCDFGbAbCD1357911121315171921

What chords fit over D Super Locrian Pentatonic?

Open D Super Locrian Pentatonic Harmonizer

D Super Locrian Pentatonic Scale — Notes and Intervals

The D Super Locrian Pentatonic scale is an aggressive and highly dissonant subset of the altered scale. On Guitar, it contains the notes D, F, Gb, Ab, C. It is a primary tool for advanced jazz guitarists and horn players to create outside tension over altered dominant chords before resolving back to the tonic. Commonly used in Jazz, Avant-Garde, Fusion. Notable players include John Coltrane, Michael Brecker. Use over 7alt, 7#9b13 chords. The pentatonic shortcut for maximum 'outside' tension over altered dominants.

Notes: D, F, Gb, Ab, C

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

Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 b5

Formula: WH-H-W-4-W

Number of notes: 5

Musical Character

AggressiveDissonantOutsideTense

The most dissonant pentatonic — a 5-note distillation of the Altered scale. Every note creates tension against a dominant chord.

Genres & Notable Artists

Genres: Jazz, Avant-Garde, Fusion

Notable players: John Coltrane, Michael Brecker

How to Use the D Super Locrian Pentatonic Scale

Use over 7alt, 7#9b13 chords. The pentatonic shortcut for maximum 'outside' tension over altered dominants.

Origin & Background

Advanced jazz pentatonic extracted from the Super Locrian / Altered scale for efficient improvisation.

How to Play D Super Locrian Pentatonic on Guitar

Place your index finger at fret 10 on the 6th (low E) to find your D root note. With only 5 notes, this scale fits comfortably in a two-notes-per-string pattern across all six strings. Focus on learning a single box shape first before connecting positions.

The D Super Locrian Pentatonic scale contains 2 flats (Gb, Ab). This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.

Practice Routine — Exercises for Playing

Set a metronome to 100 BPM and play the D Super Locrian Pentatonic scale in groups of four notes, shifting the starting note each repetition. This builds muscle memory across the entire scale range. After a week, try improvising short 4-bar phrases using only these notes.

This scale works well over simple power chord progressions or a 12-bar blues in D. Try a D5 - Ab5 - C5 progression. This scale is especially effective in avant-garde contexts.

Guitar Tips

On guitar, practice the D Super Locrian Pentatonic scale on a single string from the open position to the 12th fret. This trains your ear to hear the intervals linearly and helps with slide guitar applications. Aim for a aggressive quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.

Related Scales

Super Locrian Pentatonic is the Altered scale pentatonic subset. View D Altered scale

The D Super Locrian Pentatonic scale contains 5 notes (D, F, Gb, Ab, C). 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 D Super Locrian Pentatonic

The D Super Locrian Pentatonic 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 5-note pentatonic scale, 2-notes-per-string patterns are the most ergonomic way to traverse the fretboard. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.

Explore D Super Locrian Pentatonic Further

Explore D Super Locrian Pentatonic in Other Tunings

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