F Locrian Bass Scale
Bass scale — fretboard diagram
F Locrian Scale — Notes and Intervals
The F Locrian scale is the seventh and most unstable mode of the major scale. On Bass, the notes are F, Gb, Ab, Bb, B, Db, Eb. It sounds highly dissonant and unresolved, as its home chord is a diminished triad. While rare as a primary key, it is a crucial technical tool for jazz musicians improvising over half-diminished chords in tension-heavy passages. The diatonic chords of F Locrian are Fm7b5, GbMaj7, Abm7, Bbm7, BMaj7, Db7, Ebm7. Commonly used in Jazz, Metal, Experimental, Avant-Garde. Notable players include John Coltrane, Meshuggah, Dream Theater. Use over m7b5 (half-diminished) chords. Essential for jazz ii-V-i in minor keys where the ii chord is half-diminished.
Notes: F, Gb, Ab, Bb, B, Db, Eb
Intervals: 1P, 2m, 3m, 4P, 5d, 6m, 7m
Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Formula: H-W-W-H-W-W-W
Number of notes: 7
Diatonic Chords
Fm7♭5 — G♭Maj7 — A♭m7 — B♭m7 — BMaj7 — D♭7 — E♭m7
How to Play F Locrian on Bass
On bass, locate F on the E string at fret 1. Use a one-finger-per-fret approach starting from the root and span two to three strings. Keep your fretting hand relaxed and practice shifting between positions cleanly.
The F Locrian scale contains 5 flats (Gb, Ab, Bb, Db, Eb). Its relative major is Ab major, which shares the same key signature.
Practice Routine
Set a metronome to 80 BPM and play the F Locrian scale in groups of four notes, shifting the starting note each repetition. This builds muscle memory across the entire scale range. After a week, try improvising short 4-bar phrases using only these notes.
Try these progressions with the F Locrian scale: Fm7b5 - Bbm7 - BMaj7 - Fm7b5 (I-IV-V-I) or Fm7b5 - GbMaj7 - Bbm7 - BMaj7 for a more stepwise movement.
Bass Tips
On bass, use the F Locrian scale to build walking bass lines by targeting chord tones on strong beats and using scale tones as approach notes. This is the foundation of functional bass playing.
The F Locrian scale contains 7 notes (F, Gb, Ab, Bb, B, Db, Eb). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Bass with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for F Locrian
The F Locrian scale can be played in 5 CAGED positions across the fretboard, each based on an open chord shape (C, A, G, E, D). As a 7-note scale, it also lends itself to 3-notes-per-string (3NPS) patterns that facilitate legato playing and diagonal shifting. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.