D# Locrian #2 Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Double Drop D tuning — fretboard diagram
D# Locrian #2 in Double Drop D — Notes and Intervals
The D# Locrian #2 scale is a more usable and consonant version of the standard Locrian mode. On Guitar, it contains the notes D#, F, F#, G#, A, B, C#. It is the preferred choice for jazz musicians soloing over half-diminished chords, as its natural second degree allows for much smoother and more melodic voice leading. Commonly used in Jazz, Post-Bop, Contemporary. Notable players include John Coltrane, Woody Shaw, Steve Coleman. Use over m7b5 chords. The preferred jazz choice over half-diminished chords (vs standard Locrian which sounds too harsh).
Notes: D#, F, F#, G#, A, B, C#
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 4P, 5d, 6m, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Formula: W-H-W-H-W-W-W
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Double Drop D (D-A-D-G-B-D)
Also known as: half-diminished, aeolian b5
About Double Drop D Tuning
Double Drop D tuning (D-A-D-G-B-D) lowers both the 6th and 1st strings from E to D, creating a symmetrical frame of D notes around the standard middle four strings. This gives a distinctly resonant, jangly character that has been beloved in folk-rock and acoustic music since the late 1960s.
Neil Young used Double Drop D extensively — 'Cinnamon Girl' features its distinctive droning riff, and 'The Needle and the Damage Done' showcases its intimate fingerpicking potential. Jimmy Page used it on Led Zeppelin's 'Going to California'. Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' also employs this tuning. Because only two strings change (both by just one whole step), Double Drop D is one of the easiest alternate tunings to learn — most standard chord shapes on the inner four strings remain unchanged.
Notable artists: Neil Young, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Best for: Folk-rock songwriting, D-centric acoustic arrangements, droning fingerpicking patterns, and any song that benefits from rich D-string resonance on both outer strings
Musical Character
The natural 2nd degree (vs b2 in standard Locrian) makes this vastly more usable — smoother voice leading while retaining the essential b5 for half-diminished harmony.
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D# Locrian #2 in Standard Tuning
- D# Locrian #2 in Drop D
- D# Locrian #2 in DADGAD
- D# Locrian #2 in Open G
- D# Locrian #2 in Baritone (B Standard)
- D# Locrian #2 in 7-string
- D# Locrian #2 in 8-string
- D# Locrian #2 in Drop C
- D# Locrian #2 in Drop B
- D# Locrian #2 in Open D
- D# Locrian #2 in Half Step Down
- D# Locrian #2 in Open E
- D# Locrian #2 in Open A
- D# Locrian #2 in Open C