F# Locrian Guitar Scale
Guitar 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 Guitar, the notes are F#, G, A, B, C, D, E. 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 F#m7b5, GMaj7, Am7, Bm7, CMaj7, D7, Em7. 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#, G, A, B, C, D, E
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
F♯m7♭5 — GMaj7 — Am7 — Bm7 — CMaj7 — D7 — Em7
How to Play F# Locrian on Guitar
Place your index finger at fret 2 on the 6th (low E) to find your F# 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 9th fret on the A string.
The F# Locrian scale contains 1 sharp (F#). Its relative major is A major, which shares the same key signature.
Practice Routine
Begin by playing the F# Locrian scale ascending and descending at 80 BPM using a metronome, one note per beat. Once comfortable, practice in thirds (F#-A, G-B) to build intervallic familiarity. Spend 5 minutes daily on this pattern before increasing tempo by 10 BPM.
Try these progressions with the F# Locrian scale: F#m7b5 - Bm7 - CMaj7 - F#m7b5 (I-IV-V-I) or F#m7b5 - GMaj7 - Bm7 - CMaj7 for a more stepwise movement.
Guitar Tips
Use hybrid picking (pick + fingers) when playing the F# Locrian scale on guitar to access wider intervals and string skips that a pick alone cannot handle efficiently.
The F# Locrian scale contains 7 notes (F#, G, A, B, C, D, E). Use the interactive fretboard above to explore this scale on Guitar 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.
Explore F# Locrian Further
- Harmonize the F# Locrian scale — triads & 7th chords
- Browse chord progressions
- F# Locrian on Ukulele
- F# Locrian on Bass
- F# Locrian on Piano
Explore F# Locrian in Other Tunings
- F# Locrian in Drop D (E-B-G-D-A-D)
- F# Locrian in DADGAD (D-A-G-D-A-D)
- F# Locrian in Open G (D-B-G-D-G-D)
- F# Locrian in Baritone (B Standard) (B-F#-D-A-E-B)
- F# Locrian in 7-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B)
- F# Locrian in 8-string (E-B-G-D-A-E-B-F#)
- F# Locrian in Drop C (D-A-F-C-G-C)
- F# Locrian in Drop B (C#-G#-E-B-F#-B)
- F# Locrian in Open D (D-A-F#-D-A-D)
- F# Locrian in Half Step Down (Eb-Bb-Gb-Db-Ab-Eb)
- F# Locrian in Open E (E-B-G#-E-B-E)
- F# Locrian in Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
- F# Locrian in Double Drop D (D-B-G-D-A-D)
- F# Locrian in Open C (E-C-G-C-G-C)