D Locrian Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Open A tuning — fretboard diagram
D Locrian in Open A — Notes and Intervals
The D Locrian scale is the seventh and most unstable mode of the major scale. On Guitar, the notes are D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C. 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 D Locrian are Dm7b5, EbMaj7, Fm7, Gm7, AbMaj7, Bb7, Cm7. 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: D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C
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: Open A (E-C#-A-E-A-E)
Diatonic Chords
Dm7♭5 — E♭Maj7 — Fm7 — Gm7 — A♭Maj7 — B♭7 — Cm7
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D Locrian in Standard Tuning
- D Locrian in Drop D
- D Locrian in DADGAD
- D Locrian in Open G
- D Locrian in Baritone (B Standard)
- D Locrian in 7-string
- D Locrian in 8-string
- D Locrian in Drop C
- D Locrian in Drop B
- D Locrian in Open D
- D Locrian in Half Step Down
- D Locrian in Open E
- D Locrian in Double Drop D
- D Locrian in Open C