A Locrian Banjo 5 String Scale
Banjo 5 String scale in Standard (Open G) tuning — fretboard diagram
A Locrian in Standard (Open G) — Notes and Intervals
The A Locrian scale is the seventh and most unstable mode of the major scale. On Banjo 5 String, the notes are A, Bb, C, D, Eb, 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 Am7b5, BbMaj7, Cm7, Dm7, EbMaj7, F7, Gm7. 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, Bb, C, D, Eb, 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
Tuning: Standard (Open G) (D-B-G-D-G)
Diatonic Chords
Am7♭5 — B♭Maj7 — Cm7 — Dm7 — E♭Maj7 — F7 — Gm7