B Locrian Pentatonic Guitar Scale
Guitar scale — fretboard diagram
B Locrian Pentatonic Scale — Notes and Intervals
The B Locrian Pentatonic scale is an unstable and mysterious scale used to evoke tension and ambiguity. On Guitar, its notes are B, D, E, F, A. It is often found in experimental music and certain Indian Ragas, providing a dissonant, outside sound that is perfect for dark, avant-garde, or high-tension compositions. Commonly used in Jazz, Fusion, Experimental, Progressive. Notable players include John Scofield, Kurt Rosenwinkel. Use over m7b5 (half-diminished) chords. Essential for jazz solos over ii chords in minor ii-V-i progressions.
Notes: B, D, E, F, A
Intervals: 1P, 3m, 4P, 5d, 7m
Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 b5
Formula: WH-W-H-4-W
Number of notes: 5
Also known as: minor seven flat five pentatonic
How to Play B Locrian Pentatonic on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 7 on the 6th (low E) to find your B root note. With only 5 notes, this scale fits comfortably in a two-notes-per-string pattern across all six strings. Focus on learning a single box shape first before connecting positions.
The B Locrian Pentatonic scale uses no sharps or flats, consisting entirely of natural notes. This scale does not follow a traditional major or minor key signature, so reading from sheet music may require accidentals.
Practice Routine
Begin by playing the B Locrian Pentatonic scale ascending and descending at 80 BPM using a metronome, one note per beat. Once comfortable, practice in thirds (B-E, D-F) to build intervallic familiarity. Spend 5 minutes daily on this pattern before increasing tempo by 10 BPM.
This scale works well over simple power chord progressions or a 12-bar blues in B. Try a B5 - F5 - A5 progression.
Guitar Tips
Use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) when playing the B Locrian Pentatonic scale on guitar to access wider intervals and string skips that a pick alone cannot handle efficiently.
The B Locrian Pentatonic scale contains 5 notes (B, D, E, F, A). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar with different tunings and fret ranges.
CAGED Positions & Patterns for B Locrian Pentatonic
The B Locrian Pentatonic 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 5-note pentatonic scale, 2-notes-per-string patterns are the most ergonomic way to traverse the fretboard. Use the pattern selector above to isolate each position.
Explore B Locrian Pentatonic Further
- Harmonize the B Locrian Pentatonic scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- B Locrian Pentatonic on Ukulele
- B Locrian Pentatonic on Bass
- B Locrian Pentatonic on Piano
Explore B Locrian Pentatonic in Other Tunings
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- B Locrian Pentatonic in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)