A Minor Locrian Guitar Scale

A Minor Locrian Scale — Notes and Intervals

The A Minor Locrian scale provides a smoother approach to half-diminished chord improvisation by raising the second degree of standard Locrian. On Guitar, its notes are A, B, C, D, Eb, F, G. Jazz musicians rely on its natural second for elegant voice leading over m7b5 chords in minor ii-V-i progressions, where pure Locrian would sound too angular. Commonly used in Jazz, Post-Bop, Fusion, Progressive. Notable players include John Scofield, Wayne Shorter, Kurt Rosenwinkel. Use over m7b5 (half-diminished) chords. The natural 2nd provides smoother voice leading than standard Locrian while retaining the essential b5. Preferred by jazz musicians for minor ii-V-i progressions.

Notes: A, B, C, D, Eb, F, G

Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 4P, 5d, 6m, 7m

Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

Formula: W-H-W-H-W-W-W

Number of notes: 7

Musical Character

Locrian with a raised 2nd degree, sharing its lower tetrachord with Aeolian (natural minor) and its upper tetrachord with Locrian. This hybrid provides a smoother, more usable approach to half-diminished chord improvisation than pure Locrian.

Genres & Notable Artists

Genres: Jazz, Post-Bop, Fusion, Progressive

Notable players: John Scofield, Wayne Shorter, Kurt Rosenwinkel

How to Use the A Minor Locrian Scale

Use over m7b5 (half-diminished) chords. The natural 2nd provides smoother voice leading than standard Locrian while retaining the essential b5. Preferred by jazz musicians for minor ii-V-i progressions.

Origin & Background

Functionally equivalent to Locrian #2 (the 6th mode of melodic minor). Jazz improvisers developed this as a practical alternative to standard Locrian, whose b2 created awkward voice leading over half-diminished chords. The natural 2nd degree smooths out the melodic contour while preserving the characteristic b5.

How to Play A Minor Locrian on Guitar

Place your index finger at fret 5 on the 6th (low E) to find your A root note. Use a three-notes-per-string fingering to cover the full scale in one position, or learn the CAGED shapes to navigate the entire fretboard. An alternative starting point is open position using open A string.

The A Minor Locrian scale contains 1 flat (Eb). Its relative major is C major, which shares the same key signature.

Practice Routine — Exercises for Playing

Begin by playing the A Minor Locrian scale ascending and descending at 100 BPM using a metronome, one note per beat. Once comfortable, practice in thirds (A-C, B-D) to build intervallic familiarity. Spend 5 minutes daily on this pattern before increasing tempo by 10 BPM.

Experiment with simple two-chord vamps rooted on A to let the characteristic intervals of the Minor Locrian scale come through clearly. This scale is especially effective in jazz contexts.

Guitar Tips

Use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) when playing the A Minor Locrian scale on guitar to access wider intervals and string skips that a pick alone cannot handle efficiently. Aim for a dark quality in your phrasing to match the natural character of this scale.

Related Scales

Minor Locrian is the 6th mode of the Melodic Minor scale (Locrian #2). View A Melodic minor scale

• A Locrian
• A Locrian #2
• A Aeolian
• A Altered

The A Minor Locrian scale contains 7 notes (A, B, C, D, Eb, F, G). Use the interactive fretboard diagram above to explore each shape and pattern on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges. Practice ascending and descending from the root note to learn the sound of this scale.

CAGED Positions & Patterns for A Minor Locrian

The A Minor 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.

Explore A Minor Locrian Further

• Harmonize the A Minor Locrian scale — triads & 7th chords
• Browse chord progressions
• A Minor Locrian on Ukulele
• A Minor Locrian on Bass
• A Minor Locrian on Piano

Explore A Minor Locrian in Other Tunings

• A Minor Locrian in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
• A Minor Locrian in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
• A Minor Locrian in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
• A Minor Locrian in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
• A Minor Locrian in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
• A Minor Locrian in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
• A Minor Locrian in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
• A Minor Locrian in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
• A Minor Locrian in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
• A Minor Locrian in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
• A Minor Locrian in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
• A Minor Locrian in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
• A Minor Locrian in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
• A Minor Locrian in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)

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