Scale guide
B Locrian
In one sentence: A minor scale with the diminished fifth: the most unstable, almost impossible as a tonic.
Every scale tone is on a white key. The numbers show the ascending fingering of each hand.
📊 TECHNICAL SHEET
Level: Intermedio Alto · Tonic: B (B) · Type: Locrian Formula: 1-♭2-♭3-4-♭5-♭6-♭7 · Alterations: 0 (all white keys) · Relative major: C major
| Note | Degree |
|---|---|
| B | 1 |
| C | 2 |
| D | 3 |
| E | 4 |
| F | 5 |
| G | 6 |
| A | 7 |
| Hand · Direction | 1 octave | 2 octaves |
|---|---|---|
| Right · Ascending | 1-2-1-2-3-1-2-3 | 1-2-1-2-3-1-2-1-2-1-2-3-1-2-3 |
| Right · Descending | 3-2-1-3-2-1-2-1 | 4-3-2-1-4-3-2-1-3-2-1-4-3-2-1 |
| Left · Ascending | 4-3-2-1-4-3-2-1 | 4-3-2-1-4-3-2-1-3-2-1-4-3-2-1 |
| Left · Descending | 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-1 | 1-2-1-2-3-1-2-1-2-1-2-3-1-2-3 |
🎵 KEY ELEMENT: The diminished fifth
The diminished fifth (degree ♭5) is the note that defines Locrian. The triad on the tonic is diminished: there is no stable major or minor chord. Locrian is, technically, the only mode where the i chord is neither major nor minor.
🎹 CHORDS AND PROGRESSIONS
| Degree | Chord | Function |
|---|---|---|
| i° | Bdim | Tonic |
| II | C | Supertonic |
| III | Dm | Mediant |
| iv | Em | Subdominant |
| v° | F | Dominant |
| VI | G | Submediant |
| vii | Am | Leading |
1. Ddim - Ab - Bb - C — The i° is a diminished chord: unstable by nature.
2. Ddim7 - Adim7 - Ddim7 — The Locrian vamp is used in extreme metal and horror soundtracks.
🔄 COMPARISON WITH THE REFERENCE SCALE
In Locrian, the fifth is diminished (♭5); in natural minor it is perfect (5). That ♭5 makes the i chord diminished.
Locrian: note F. Natural minor: note F#.
🎵 HISTORICAL CONTEXT
- Béla Bartók explored Locrian as an extreme contrast in his 20th-century works.
- Black metal (Mayhem, Emperor) and technical death metal adopted Locrian as a sign of radical darkness.
- Horror film soundtracks use Locrian to underline the abyss: unstable silences that do not resolve.
- Modal jazz rarely uses Locrian as a tonic, but its ♭5 appears in tritone-substitute dominant chords (C7♭9).
Representative songs: «Sad But True» (intro) — Metallica (1991) · «Painkiller» — Judas Priest (1990) · «YYZ» (intro and coda) — Rush (1981) · «Army of Me» — Björk (1995)
❌ COMMON ERRORS & SOLUTIONS
Error 1: Trying to resolve as if it were natural minor — ✅ In Locrian there is NO resolution: the ♭5 makes the tonic unstable. Error 2: Playing the perfect 5th expecting a standard minor chord — ✅ In D Locrian, the 5th is Ab (♭5), NOT A natural. Error 3: Building ii-V-i cadences expecting them to work — ✅ V in Locrian is ♭V: it is not dominant, it does not resolve. Error 4: Forcing the hand to 'arrive' at the tonic with weight — ✅ In Locrian the tonic is the least stable note: let it float.
📈 LEARNING PROGRESSION
| Step | Goal | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recognize 1-♭2-♭3-4-♭5-♭6-♭7 | The ♭5 is the new note: locate it first. |
| 2 | Play tonic-♭5-tonic | Feel ♭5 without gravity: the tonic is not stable. |
| 3 | Ascending and descending octave with each hand | ♭5 should not be accented: it makes the tonic float. |
| 4 | Vamp i°-bV (D° - Ab) | Practice instability: the i° chord does not resolve. |
| 5 | Improvise 4-8 bars over the vamp | Do not look for resolution: the music stays suspended. |
✅ MASTERY CHECKLIST
- I recognize the i° chord as typically Locrian
- I keep ♭5 without slipping into 5
- I understand that V does NOT resolve as in natural minor
- I build an i°-bV vamp without expecting resolution
- I improvise 8 bars without forcing tonal closure
- I identify when a passage is in Locrian vs natural minor
Take this with you: B Locrian is the exception: the ♭5 makes the tonic homeless. Use it to underline the abyss, not to settle in it.