D# Locrian Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Open G tuning — fretboard diagram
D# Locrian in Open G — Notes and Intervals
The D# Locrian scale is the seventh and most unstable mode of the major scale. On Guitar, the notes are D#, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#. 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 D# Locrian are D#m7b5, EMaj7, F#m7, G#m7, AMaj7, B7, C#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: D#, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#
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
Tuning: Open G (D-G-D-G-B-D)
Diatonic Chords
D♯m7♭5 — EMaj7 — F♯m7 — G♯m7 — AMaj7 — B7 — C♯m7
About Open G Tuning
Open G tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D) produces a G major chord when strummed open, making it the definitive tuning for slide guitar and delta blues. The tuning's natural consonance means that barring across any fret gives you a major chord, which is why it's been the backbone of blues and roots music for over a century.
From Robert Johnson to Keith Richards, Open G has shaped some of the most iconic music ever recorded. Keith Richards famously removes the low 6th string entirely in this tuning, creating his signature five-string sound on songs like 'Start Me Up' and 'Brown Sugar'. For slide players, Open G is essential — it allows clean, singing slide lines across all strings with minimal effort.
Notable artists: Keith Richards, Robert Johnson, Ry Cooder, Joni Mitchell, The Black Crowes
Best for: Slide guitar, delta blues, Keith Richards-style rock riffs, and open-string fingerpicking
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.