A locrian ♮6 scale on drop D guitar

A · B♭ · C · D · E♭ · F♯ · G

The course explains what this page shows in Lesson 24 · Modes.

The notes

  1. A1
  2. B♭♭2
  3. C♭3
  4. D4
  5. E♭♭5
  6. F♯6
  7. G♭7

The A locrian ♮6 scale is A, B♭, C, D, E♭, F♯, G.

You may also see it called Locrian ♯6 · 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7.

On the staff

AB♭CDE♭F♯GA

On a treble staff, the A locrian ♮6 scale is written A B♭ C D E♭ F♯ G.

This is one octave of the A locrian ♮6 scale, written on the treble clef. Guitar and bass music is written an octave higher than it sounds, and the small 8 under the clef is the sign for that.

Why the A locrian ♮6 scale has these accidentals

  1. A1
  2. S
  3. B♭♭2
  4. T
  5. C♭3
  6. T
  7. D4
  8. S
  9. E♭♭5
  10. T+S
  11. F♯6
  12. S
  13. G♭7
  14. T
  15. A8

A scale is a pattern of steps, and this one is S T T S T+S S T: a semitone, a tone, a tone, and so on. S stands for a semitone, the distance of one fret or one key. T stands for a tone, which is two semitones. T+S stands for a tone and a half, which is three semitones. The pattern is what gives A locrian ♮6 its sound, and it stays the same whichever note you start on.

The second rule is that a seven-note scale uses each letter name once, from A to G, so its seven notes take seven different letters. That is why A locrian ♮6 is spelled the way it is, rather than with whichever accidental looks tidier.

Together, the two rules leave no room for choice. If you walk the pattern up from A, three letters cannot keep up:

  • B♭ — the flat second. The pattern needs a semitone from A, but A to B is only a tone, so B has to fall to B♭.
  • E♭ — the flat fifth. The pattern needs a semitone from D, but D to E is only a tone, so E has to fall to E♭.
  • F♯ — the sixth. The pattern needs a tone and a half from E♭, but E♭ to F is only a tone, so F has to rise to F♯.

None of those accidentals was a choice. Once you pick the note to start on, the pattern decides the rest, and a key signature is a record of the result.

The A locrian ♮6 scale is written with B♭, E♭ and F♯, because the S T T S T+S S T pattern of steps cannot be spelled with plain letters from A.

The pattern of steps is the part of a scale that never changes. The letter names take sharps or flats to fit that pattern, and a key signature is a record of those sharps or flats.

On the piano

♭3C4DEF♭7G1AB♭3C4DEF♭7G1AB♭3C4DEF♭7G1AB♭3C4DEF♭7G1AB♭3CC♯♭5E♭6F♯G♯♭2B♭C♯♭5E♭6F♯G♯♭2B♭C♯♭5E♭6F♯G♯♭2B♭C♯♭5E♭6F♯G♯♭2B♭C2C3C4C5C6

The keyboard shows the same seven notes as a shape you can see. The coloured keys are the A locrian ♮6 scale, and you can click any key to hear it.

A locrian ♮6 scale on the whole neck

DADGBE123456789101112131415D4E♭♭5F♯6G♭7A1B♭♭2C♭3D4E♭♭5A1B♭♭2C♭3D4E♭♭5F♯6G♭7A1B♭♭2C♭3D4E♭♭5F♯6G♭7A1B♭♭2C♭3D4E♭♭5G♭7A1B♭♭2C♭3D4E♭♭5F♯6G♭7A1B♭♭2C♭3D4E♭♭5F♯6G♭7A1B♭♭2C♭3D4F♯6G♭7A1B♭♭2C♭3D4E♭♭5F♯6G♭7

81 notes of the A locrian ♮6 scale are marked across six strings.

This is every place the notes of the A locrian ♮6 scale fall on the drop D guitar, with each note's name and its scale degree. The roots are marked so you can find your bearings.

Position by position

Position 1 — starts on the ♭5
DADGBE123456♭56♭7♭2♭34♭56♭71♭2♭3♭34♭56♭71
Position 2 — starts on the 6
DADGBE4567896♭71♭24♭56♭71♭2♭34♭5♭56♭71♭2♭3
Position 3 — starts on the ♭7
DADGBE5678910♭71♭24♭56♭71♭2♭34♭56♭71♭2♭3
Position 4 — starts on the 1
DADGBE7891011121♭2♭36♭71♭2♭34♭566♭71♭2♭34♭5
Position 5 — starts on the ♭2
DADGBE8910111213♭2♭346♭71♭2♭34♭56♭7♭71♭2♭34♭5
Position 6 — starts on the ♭3
DADGBE101112131415♭34♭5♭71♭2♭34♭56♭711♭2♭34♭56
Position 7 — starts on the 4
DADGBE1213141516174♭561♭2♭34♭56♭71♭2♭34♭56♭7

The A locrian ♮6 scale has seven playable positions, at frets 1–5, 4–8, 5–9, 7–11, 8–12, 10–14 and 12–16.

Each shape starts on a different degree of the scale and fits inside five frets, so your hand can play all of it without moving.

One climb up the neck

DADGBE6789101112131415161♭2♭34♭56♭71♭2♭34♭56♭71♭2♭34♭56♭7TAB78101269107810128111210111315111415

The climb runs from fret 6 to fret 15 and plays 21 notes.

This is one path from the lowest root to the top of the neck, and it plays each note once, never on two strings. It takes a different number of notes on different strings. The widest stretch on any one string is five frets.