Guitar scale · exotic
A Major Locrian Scale
Locrian with a major 2nd and a major 3rd: 1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7. Mode 5 of Neapolitan Major, also called Arabian.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Major Locrian Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------5-7-9-| B|-------------------------6-8-------| G|-------------------6-7-8-----------| D|-------------5-7-9-----------------| A|-------5-6-8-----------------------| E|-5-7-9-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------7-9-10-11-| B|------------------------------8-10-----------| G|-----------------------7-8-10----------------| D|----------------7-9-11-----------------------| A|-----------8-10------------------------------| E|-7-9-10-11-----------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------9-10-11-13-| B|-----------------------------------10-12------------| G|-----------------------------10-12------------------| D|------------------9-11-12-13------------------------| A|------------10-12-----------------------------------| E|-9-10-11-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-| B|----------------------------------14-15-16-------| G|-------------------------12-14-16----------------| D|----------------12-13-15-------------------------| A|-------12-14-16----------------------------------| E|-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-| B|----------------------------------15-16-18-------| G|-------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|-------------------15-17-------------------------| A|-------14-16-17-18-------------------------------| E|-15-17-------------------------------------------|
How to play A Major Locrian on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, ♭5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| 2 | B |
| 3 | C# |
| 4 | D |
| ♭5 | Eb |
| ♭6 | F |
| ♭7 | G |
Chords in A Major Locrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in A Major Locrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ii° | Bdim | Bm7b5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | Dm | Dm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Ebaug | Ebmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Faug | — | Submediant |
| ♭VII | G | G7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Major Locrian anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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Questions
- What notes are in the A Major Locrian Scale?
- The A Major Locrian Scale has 7 notes: A, B, C#, D, Eb, F, G.
- What chords are in the A Major Locrian Scale?
- The chords of A Major Locrian are Bdim (ii°), Dm (iv), Ebaug (♭V+), Faug (♭VI+), G (♭VII).
- What is the formula of the major locrian scale?
- 1 2 3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W H H W W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Major Locrian on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.