E locrian contains E, F, G, A, B♭, C, and D. Box 1 places the root on string 2, fret 2 for a five-fret shape.
E locrian contains E, F, G, A, B♭, C, and D. Box 1 places the root on string 2, fret 2 for a five-fret shape.
E locrian is the seventh mode of G major, sharing its key signature of one sharp. Lower the fifth of E phrygian by one semitone to get the diminished fifth. The scale contains a tritone between E and B♭, but no leading tone.
E locrian fits E minor 7th flat 5th and E diminished chords. Use it over half-diminished progressions in G major, especially in jazz and metal. The ♭5 creates tension that resolves to F major or G minor.
Practise Box 1 first. The root sits on string 2, fret 2, keeping the hand low and the shape compact.
E locrian in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 12 notes across 4 strings, from E on the E string at fret 0 up to B♭ on the G string at fret 3. The root falls on the E string at fret 0 and the D string at fret 2.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 0, 1, 3 | E, F, G |
| 3 (A) | 0, 1, 3 | A, B♭, C |
| 2 (D) | 0, 2, 3 | D, E, F |
| 1 (G) | 0, 2, 3 | G, A, B♭ |
E locrian in box 2 runs from fret 3 to fret 6, 9 notes across 4 strings, from G on the E string at fret 3 up to C on the G string at fret 5. No root falls inside this box; it sits between two of them.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 3, 5, 6 | G, A, B♭ |
| 3 (A) | 3, 5 | C, D |
| 2 (D) | 3, 5 | F, G |
| 1 (G) | 3, 5 | B♭, C |
E locrian in box 3 runs from fret 5 to fret 8, 11 notes across 4 strings, from A on the E string at fret 5 up to D on the G string at fret 7. The root falls on the A string at fret 7.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 5, 6, 8 | A, B♭, C |
| 3 (A) | 5, 7, 8 | D, E, F |
| 2 (D) | 5, 7, 8 | G, A, B♭ |
| 1 (G) | 5, 7 | C, D |
E locrian in box 4 runs from fret 8 to fret 10, 8 notes across 4 strings, from C on the E string at fret 8 up to F on the G string at fret 10. The root falls on the G string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 8, 10 | C, D |
| 3 (A) | 8, 10 | F, G |
| 2 (D) | 8, 10 | B♭, C |
| 1 (G) | 9, 10 | E, F |
E locrian in box 5 runs from fret 10 to fret 13, 10 notes across 4 strings, from D on the E string at fret 10 up to G on the G string at fret 12. The root falls on the E string at fret 12.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 10, 12, 13 | D, E, F |
| 3 (A) | 10, 12, 13 | G, A, B♭ |
| 2 (D) | 10, 12 | C, D |
| 1 (G) | 10, 12 | F, G |
E locrian, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 0 to fret 3, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 0 and the D string at fret 2.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 0, 1, 3 | E, F, G |
| 3 (A) | 0, 1, 3 | A, B♭, C |
| 2 (D) | 0, 2, 3 | D, E, F |
| 1 (G) | 0, 2, 3 | G, A, B♭ |
E locrian, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭2 and runs from fret 1 to fret 5, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 2.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 1, 3, 5 | F, G, A |
| 3 (A) | 1, 3, 5 | B♭, C, D |
| 2 (D) | 2, 3, 5 | E, F, G |
| 1 (G) | 2, 3, 5 | A, B♭, C |
E locrian, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭3 and runs from fret 3 to fret 7, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 7.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 3, 5, 6 | G, A, B♭ |
| 3 (A) | 3, 5, 7 | C, D, E |
| 2 (D) | 3, 5, 7 | F, G, A |
| 1 (G) | 3, 5, 7 | B♭, C, D |
E locrian, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 4 and runs from fret 5 to fret 9, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 7 and the G string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 5, 6, 8 | A, B♭, C |
| 3 (A) | 5, 7, 8 | D, E, F |
| 2 (D) | 5, 7, 8 | G, A, B♭ |
| 1 (G) | 5, 7, 9 | C, D, E |
E locrian, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭5 and runs from fret 6 to fret 10, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 7 and the G string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 6, 8, 10 | B♭, C, D |
| 3 (A) | 7, 8, 10 | E, F, G |
| 2 (D) | 7, 8, 10 | A, B♭, C |
| 1 (G) | 7, 9, 10 | D, E, F |
E locrian, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭6 and runs from fret 8 to fret 12, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 12 and the G string at fret 9.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 8, 10, 12 | C, D, E |
| 3 (A) | 8, 10, 12 | F, G, A |
| 2 (D) | 8, 10, 12 | B♭, C, D |
| 1 (G) | 9, 10, 12 | E, F, G |
E locrian, position 7 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭7 and runs from fret 10 to fret 14, three notes on each of 4 strings. The root falls on the E string at fret 12 and the D string at fret 14.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 10, 12, 13 | D, E, F |
| 3 (A) | 10, 12, 13 | G, A, B♭ |
| 2 (D) | 10, 12, 14 | C, D, E |
| 1 (G) | 10, 12, 14 | F, G, A |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
E locrian contains E, F, G, A, B♭, C, and D. The scale degrees are 1, ♭2, ♭3, 4, ♭5, ♭6, and ♭7. It has one sharp in its key signature.
E locrian fits E minor 7th flat 5th and E diminished chords. These chords occur as the seventh degree in G major. The scale's ♭5 matches the chord's diminished fifth.
E locrian differs from E phrygian by one note: the fifth is B♭ instead of B. This creates a diminished fifth instead of a perfect fifth. The rest of the notes are identical.