A# Locrian Guitar Scale
Guitar scale — fretboard diagram
A# Locrian Scale — Notes and Intervals
The A# Locrian scale is the seventh and most unstable mode of the major scale. On Guitar, the notes are A#, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#. 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 A# Locrian are A#m7b5, BMaj7, C#m7, D#m7, EMaj7, F#7, G#m7. 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: A#, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#
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
A♯m7♭5 — BMaj7 — C♯m7 — D♯m7 — EMaj7 — F♯7 — G♯m7
How to Play A# Locrian on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 6 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 1st fret on the A string.
The A# Locrian scale contains 5 sharps (A#, C#, D#, F#, G#). Its relative major is C# major, which shares the same key signature.
Practice Routine
Begin by playing the A# Locrian scale ascending and descending at 80 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.
Try these progressions with the A# Locrian scale: A#m7b5 - D#m7 - EMaj7 - A#m7b5 (I-IV-V-I) or A#m7b5 - BMaj7 - D#m7 - EMaj7 for a more stepwise movement.
Guitar Tips
Use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) when playing the A# Locrian scale on guitar to access wider intervals and string skips that a pick alone cannot handle efficiently.
The A# Locrian scale contains 7 notes (A#, B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for A# Locrian
The A# 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# Locrian Further
- Harmonize the A# Locrian scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- A# Locrian on Ukulele
- A# Locrian on Bass
- A# Locrian on Piano
Explore A# Locrian in Other Tunings
- A# Locrian in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- A# Locrian in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- A# Locrian in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- A# Locrian in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- A# Locrian in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- A# Locrian in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- A# Locrian in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- A# Locrian in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- A# Locrian in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- A# Locrian in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- A# Locrian in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- A# Locrian in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- A# Locrian in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- A# Locrian in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)