Guitar scale · exotic
D 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.
D 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|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-13----------| G|----------------------------11-12-13----------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------| A|----------10-11-13----------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-15-16-| B|-------------------------------------13-15-------------| G|----------------------------12-13-15-------------------| D|-------------------12-14-16----------------------------| A|-------------13-15-------------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-16-18-| B|-------------------------------------15-17-------------| G|-------------------------------15-17-------------------| D|-------------------14-16-17-18-------------------------| A|-------------15-17-------------------------------------| E|-14-15-16-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-| B|----------------------------------19-20-21-------| G|-------------------------17-19-21----------------| D|----------------17-18-20-------------------------| A|-------17-19-21----------------------------------| E|-18-20-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------20-22-| B|----------------------------19-20-21-------| G|----------------------19-21----------------| D|----------------20-22----------------------| A|-------19-21-22----------------------------| E|-20-22-------------------------------------|
How to play D Major Locrian on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–14. 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 | D |
| 2 | E |
| 3 | F# |
| 4 | G |
| ♭5 | Ab |
| ♭6 | Bb |
| ♭7 | C |
Chords in D Major Locrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Major Locrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ii° | Edim | Em7b5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | Gm | Gm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Abaug | Abmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Bbaug | — | Submediant |
| ♭VII | C | C7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D 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 D Major Locrian Scale?
- The D Major Locrian Scale has 7 notes: D, E, F#, G, Ab, Bb, C.
- What chords are in the D Major Locrian Scale?
- The chords of D Major Locrian are Edim (ii°), Gm (iv), Abaug (♭V+), Bbaug (♭VI+), C (♭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 D Major Locrian on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.