Guitar scale · exotic
E 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.
E 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|-----------------------------0-2-4-| B|-------------------------1-3-------| G|-------------------1-2-3-----------| D|-------------0-2-4-----------------| A|-------0-1-3-----------------------| E|-0-2-4-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------2-4-5-6-| B|-------------------------3-5---------| G|-------------------2-3-5-------------| D|-------------2-4-6-------------------| A|---------3-5-------------------------| E|-2-4-5-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------4-5-6-8-| B|-------------------------5-7---------| G|---------------------5-7-------------| D|-------------4-6-7-8-----------------| A|---------5-7-------------------------| E|-4-5-6-8-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------8-10-| B|---------------------------9-10-11------| G|--------------------7-9-11--------------| D|-------------7-8-10---------------------| A|------7-9-11----------------------------| E|-8-10-----------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------10-12-| B|--------------------------------10-11-13-------| G|------------------------9-11-13----------------| D|------------------10-12------------------------| A|-------9-11-12-13------------------------------| E|-10-12-----------------------------------------|
How to play E Major Locrian on guitar
Find the root first: E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every E 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 0–4. 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 | E |
| 2 | F# |
| 3 | G# |
| 4 | A |
| ♭5 | Bb |
| ♭6 | C |
| ♭7 | D |
Chords in E Major Locrian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in E Major Locrian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ii° | F#dim | F#m7b5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| iv | Am | Am(maj7) | Subdominant |
| ♭V+ | Bbaug | Bbmaj7#5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Caug | — | Submediant |
| ♭VII | D | D7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise E 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 E Major Locrian Scale?
- The E Major Locrian Scale has 7 notes: E, F#, G#, A, Bb, C, D.
- What chords are in the E Major Locrian Scale?
- The chords of E Major Locrian are F#dim (ii°), Am (iv), Bbaug (♭V+), Caug (♭VI+), D (♭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 E Major Locrian on the guitar?
- The root E is at fret 0 on the low E string and fret 7 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 0–4, and four more positions connect it up the neck.