A Locrian scale on ukulele
A Locrian has 7 notes: A B♭ C D E♭ F G. Degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7. Formula: H W W H W W W.
What notes are in the A Locrian scale?
A, B♭, C, D, E♭, F and G. It has 7 notes; its formula in whole and half steps is H W W H W W W.
What does A Locrian sound like, and when do you use it?
Unstable, no perfect fifth: pure tension that wants to move. Use it over m7♭5 · the vii of a major key (the ii of a minor ii–V).
Chords in A Locrian
| Degree | Triad | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| i° | A° | Am7♭5 |
| ♭II | B♭ | B♭maj7 |
| ♭iii | Cm | Cm7 |
| iv | Dm | Dm7 |
| ♭V | E♭ | E♭maj7 |
| ♭VI | F | F7 |
| ♭vii | Gm | Gm7 |
Chord progressions to improvise with A Locrian
In Jam mode (the Jam button above) a band of grand piano, upright bass and drums (recorded instruments) plays these progressions as swing, bossa, groove or ballad, and the fretboard lights up the notes of each chord as it plays. It's a backing track made for this scale in A:
- Locrian vamp (iø7–♭IImaj7): Am7♭5 | B♭maj7. No perfect fifth: the E♭ is the color. The ♭II gives the B♭ somewhere to land.
- Modal (iø7): a Am7♭5 vamp. A sustained half-diminished chord: pure tension that wants to move.
A Locrian positions on ukulele
In G C E A tuning, keeping the hand in one area of the neck, A Locrian is played in 7 positions:
- Position 1: frets 9 to 12 (starts on the root)
- Position 2: frets 10 to 13
- Position 3: frets 0 to 3
- Position 4: frets 2 to 5
- Position 5: frets 3 to 6
- Position 6: frets 5 to 8
- Position 7: frets 7 to 10
Same notes as
B♭ major · G natural minor · B♭ Ionian · C Dorian · D Phrygian · E♭ Lydian · F Mixolydian · G Aeolian
Locrian in other keys
On other instruments
A Locrian on piano · A Locrian on guitar · A Locrian on bass · A Locrian on mandolin · A Locrian on banjo · A Locrian on violin · A Locrian on viola · A Locrian on cello · A Locrian on alto sax · A Locrian on tenor sax · A Locrian on trumpet · A Locrian on flute · All scales