D Locrian Major Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Baritone (B Standard) tuning — fretboard diagram
D Locrian Major in Baritone (B Standard) — Notes and Intervals
The D Locrian Major scale is a 20th-century hybrid that combines the stability of a major third with the dissonance of a Locrian base. On Guitar, it contains the notes D, E, F#, G, Ab, Bb, C. It was used by experimental composers to create a sound that is both familiar and alien. Commonly used in Experimental, Contemporary Classical, Avant-Garde. Notable players include Bela Bartok, Gyorgy Ligeti. Use in experimental composition over polytonal or atonal passages. A tool for creating cognitive dissonance.
Notes: D, E, F#, G, Ab, Bb, C
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4P, 5d, 6m, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 3 4 5 b6 b7
Formula: W-W-H-H-W-W-W
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Baritone (B Standard) (B-E-A-D-F#-B)
Also known as: arabian
About Baritone (B Standard) Tuning
The baritone guitar is tuned a perfect fourth lower than standard guitar (B-E-A-D-F#-B), producing a distinctly beefy tone with serious low-end depth that sits perfectly between guitar and bass. Its rich, dark voice has made it a secret weapon in film scoring, ambient music, and moody songwriting where you need that unmistakable low-end warmth without losing clarity.
Unlike simply tuning a standard guitar down (which causes floppy strings and muddy tone), the baritone guitar uses a longer scale length (typically 27"-30") designed specifically for lower tunings. This gives each note clarity and definition even in the lowest register. Session musicians, film composers, and bedroom producers alike reach for the baritone when they need dark, atmospheric textures, doom-laden riffs, or simply a different sonic palette that standard guitar can't deliver.
Notable artists: Pat Metheny, Nels Cline, Brian Setzer, Baritone session players in Nashville
Best for: Moody songwriting, film scoring, ambient textures, doom metal, and any production that needs low-end depth with clarity
Musical Character
A major 3rd within a Locrian framework — the contradiction creates a sound that is both familiar (major) and alien (b2, b5) simultaneously.