Guitar scale · exotic
B 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.
B 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|----------------------------------7-9-11-| B|-----------------------------8-10--------| G|----------------------8-9-10-------------| D|---------------7-9-11--------------------| A|--------7-8-10---------------------------| E|-7-9-11----------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------9-11-12-13-| B|----------------------------------10-12------------| G|--------------------------9-10-12------------------| D|------------------9-11-13--------------------------| A|------------10-12----------------------------------| E|-9-11-12-13----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-13-15-| B|-------------------------------------12-14-------------| G|-------------------------------12-14-------------------| D|-------------------11-13-14-15-------------------------| A|-------------12-14-------------------------------------| E|-11-12-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-| B|----------------------------------16-17-18-------| G|-------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|----------------14-15-17-------------------------| A|-------14-16-18----------------------------------| E|-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-| B|----------------------------------17-18-20-------| G|-------------------------16-18-20----------------| D|-------------------17-19-------------------------| A|-------16-18-19-20-------------------------------| E|-17-19-------------------------------------------|
How to play B Major Locrian on guitar
Find the root first: B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every B 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 7–11. 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 | B |
| 2 | C# |
| 3 | D# |
| 4 | E |
| ♭5 | F |
| ♭6 | G |
| ♭7 | A |
Chords in B Major Locrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in B Major Locrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ii° | C#dim | C#m7b5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | Em | Em(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Faug | Fmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Gaug | — | Submediant |
| ♭VII | A | A7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise B 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.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the B Major Locrian Scale?
- The B Major Locrian Scale has 7 notes: B, C#, D#, E, F, G, A.
- What chords are in the B Major Locrian Scale?
- The chords of B Major Locrian are C#dim (ii°), Em (iv), Faug (♭V+), Gaug (♭VI+), A (♭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 B Major Locrian on the guitar?
- The root B is at fret 7 on the low E string and fret 2 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 7–11, and four more positions connect it up the neck.