F♯ locrian scale on 6-string bass

F♯ · G · A · B · C · D · E

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

The notes

  1. F♯1
  2. G♭2
  3. A♭3
  4. B4
  5. C♭5
  6. D♭6
  7. E♭7

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

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

On the staff

F♯GABCDEF♯

On a bass staff, the F♯ locrian scale is written F♯ G A B C D E.

This is one octave of the F♯ locrian scale, written on the bass 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 F♯ locrian scale has this sharp

  1. F♯1
  2. S
  3. G♭2
  4. T
  5. A♭3
  6. T
  7. B4
  8. S
  9. C♭5
  10. T
  11. D♭6
  12. T
  13. E♭7
  14. T
  15. F♯8

A scale is a pattern of steps, and this one is S T T S T T 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. The pattern is what gives F♯ locrian 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 F♯ locrian is spelled the way it is, rather than with whichever accidental looks tidier.

Apart from the tonic, no note needs a sharp or a flat, because every other letter already falls where the pattern needs it.

The F♯ locrian scale is written with F♯. Only the tonic carries an accidental, and that comes from the key you picked rather than from the S T T S T T T pattern of steps.

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

♭5C♭6D♭7EF♭2G♭3A4B♭5C♭6D♭7EF♭2G♭3A4B♭5C♭6D♭7EF♭2G♭3A4B♭5C♭6D♭7EF♭2G♭3A4B♭5C♭6D♭7EF♭2G♭3A4B♭5CC♯D♯1F♯G♯A♯C♯D♯1F♯G♯A♯C♯D♯1F♯G♯A♯C♯D♯1F♯G♯A♯C♯D♯1F♯G♯A♯C0C1C2C3C4C5

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

F♯ locrian scale on the whole neck

BEADGC123456789101112131415B4C♭5D♭6E♭7F♯1G♭2A♭3B4C♭5D♭6E♭7F♯1G♭2A♭3B4C♭5D♭6E♭7F♯1G♭2A♭3B4C♭5D♭6E♭7F♯1G♭2A♭3B4C♭5D♭6E♭7F♯1G♭2A♭3B4C♭5D♭6E♭7G♭2A♭3B4C♭5D♭6E♭7F♯1G♭2A♭3C♭5D♭6E♭7F♯1G♭2A♭3B4C♭5D♭6

90 notes of the F♯ locrian scale are marked across six strings.

This is every place the notes of the F♯ locrian scale fall on the 6-string bass, 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
BEADGC123456♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭7
Position 2 — starts on the ♭6
BEADGC345678♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2
Position 3 — starts on the ♭7
BEADGC5678910♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭3
Position 4 — starts on the 1
BEADGC7891011121♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34
Position 5 — starts on the ♭2
BEADGC8910111213♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5
Position 6 — starts on the ♭3
BEADGC101112131415♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6
Position 7 — starts on the 4
BEADGC1213141516174♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭7

The F♯ locrian scale has seven playable positions, at frets 1–5, 3–7, 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

BEADGC78910111213141516171♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭71♭2♭34♭5♭6♭7TAB78101281012910121410121411121416121416

The climb runs from fret 7 to fret 16 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.