A# Locrian Charango Scale
Charango scale in Standard tuning — fretboard diagram
A# Locrian in Standard — Notes and Intervals
The A# Locrian scale is the seventh and most unstable mode of the major scale. On Charango, 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
Tuning: Standard (E-A-E-C-G)
Diatonic Chords
A♯m7♭5 — BMaj7 — C♯m7 — D♯m7 — EMaj7 — F♯7 — G♯m7