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Guitar scale · Locrian mode

Eb Locrian Scale

The most unstable mode. Contains a diminished 5th (♭5) for sinister metal riffs.

Notes EbFbGbAbACbDb
Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps H W W H W W W
Mood Chaotic, Tense, Threatening
Heard in Death Metal, Neoclassical Transitions, Film Thrillers

Interactive scale diagram

Eb Locrian 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.

How to play Eb Locrian on guitar

Find the root first: Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Eb on the neck; the gold ones are the other chord tones (3rd, 5th and 7th), which are 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 11–15. 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.

Eb Locrian uses exactly the same notes as E major; only the home note changes, which is what gives it its sound. See the E Major Scale.

Degrees

DegreeNote
1 Eb
♭2 Fb
♭3 Gb
4 Ab
♭5 A
♭6 Cb
♭7 Db

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Questions

What notes are in the Eb Locrian Scale?
The Eb Locrian Scale has 7 notes: Eb, Fb, Gb, Ab, A, Cb, Db.
What is the formula of the locrian scale?
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W W H W W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play Eb Locrian on the guitar?
The root Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 11–15, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Locrian Scale in every key

More scales in Eb