Fretwise Get the app

Guitar scale · half-diminished scale

C# Locrian Natural 2 Scale

Mode 6 of Melodic Minor: Locrian with a natural 2nd, which softens the most unstable mode.

Notes C#D#EF#GAB
Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps W H W H W W W
Mood Dark, Smooth, Tense
Heard in Over m7♭5 and m9♭5 chords, Jazz

Interactive scale diagram

C# Locrian Natural 2 Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

C# Locrian Natural 2 Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 9–13
e|---------------------------------------9-11-12-|
B|---------------------------------10-12---------|
G|-------------------------9-11-12---------------|
D|-----------------9-11-13-----------------------|
A|---------9-10-12-------------------------------|
E|-9-11-12---------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 11–15
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-15-|
B|-------------------------------------12-14-------------|
G|----------------------------11-12-14-------------------|
D|-------------------11-13-14----------------------------|
A|-------------12-14-------------------------------------|
E|-11-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-17-|
B|----------------------------------14-16-17----------|
G|----------------------------14-16-------------------|
D|----------------13-14-16-17-------------------------|
A|----------14-16-------------------------------------|
E|-14-15-17-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 16–20
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-|
B|----------------------------------17-19-20-------|
G|-------------------------16-18-20----------------|
D|----------------16-17-19-------------------------|
A|-------16-18-19----------------------------------|
E|-17-19-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 18–22
e|-------------------------------------------19-21-|
B|----------------------------------19-20-22-------|
G|-------------------------18-20-21----------------|
D|-------------------19-21-------------------------|
A|-------18-19-21-22-------------------------------|
E|-19-21-------------------------------------------|

How to play C# Locrian Natural 2 on guitar

Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 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 9–13. 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

DegreeNote
1 C#
2 D#
♭3 E
4 F#
♭5 G
♭6 A
♭7 B

Chords in C# Locrian Natural 2

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Locrian Natural 2; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
i° C#dim C#m7b5 Tonic
ii° D#dim D#m7b5 Supertonic
♭iii Em Em(maj7) Mediant
iv F#m F#m7 Subdominant
♭V+ Gaug Gmaj7#5 Dominant
♭VI A A7 Submediant
♭VII B B7 Leading tone / subtonic

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

Practise C# Locrian Natural 2 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 C# Locrian Natural 2 Scale?
The C# Locrian Natural 2 Scale has 7 notes: C#, D#, E, F#, G, A, B.
What chords are in the C# Locrian Natural 2 Scale?
The chords of C# Locrian Natural 2 are C#dim (i°), D#dim (ii°), Em (♭iii), F#m (iv), Gaug (♭V+), A (♭VI), B (♭VII).
What is the formula of the locrian natural 2 scale?
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W H W H W W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play C# Locrian Natural 2 on the guitar?
The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Locrian Natural 2 Scale in every key

More scales in C#