Guitar scale · exotic
C 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.
C 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|-------------------------------------8-10-12-| B|--------------------------------9-11---------| G|------------------------9-10-11--------------| D|----------------8-10-12----------------------| A|---------8-9-11------------------------------| E|-8-10-12-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-12-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-13-------------| G|----------------------------10-11-13-------------------| D|-------------------10-12-14----------------------------| A|-------------11-13-------------------------------------| E|-10-12-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------13-15-------------| G|-------------------------------13-15-------------------| D|-------------------12-14-15-16-------------------------| A|-------------13-15-------------------------------------| E|-12-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-| B|----------------------------------17-18-19-------| G|-------------------------15-17-19----------------| D|----------------15-16-18-------------------------| A|-------15-17-19----------------------------------| E|-16-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-| B|----------------------------------18-19-21-------| G|-------------------------17-19-21----------------| D|-------------------18-20-------------------------| A|-------17-19-20-21-------------------------------| E|-18-20-------------------------------------------|
How to play C Major Locrian on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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 | C |
| 2 | D |
| 3 | E |
| 4 | F |
| ♭5 | Gb |
| ♭6 | Ab |
| ♭7 | Bb |
Chords in C Major Locrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C Major Locrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ii° | Ddim | Dm7b5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | Fm | Fm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Abaug | — | Submediant |
| ♭VII | Bb | Bb7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C 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 C Major Locrian Scale?
- The C Major Locrian Scale has 7 notes: C, D, E, F, Gb, Ab, Bb.
- What chords are in the C Major Locrian Scale?
- The chords of C Major Locrian are Ddim (ii°), Fm (iv), Gbaug (♭V+), Abaug (♭VI+), Bb (♭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 C Major Locrian on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.