C Locrian Scale
4-string bass · mode VII · 7 notes · minor family
Notes
C
D♭
E♭
F
G♭
A♭
B♭
Solfège : Do – Ré♭ – Mi♭ – Fa – Sol♭ – La♭ – Si♭
Interval Structure
C
½T
D♭
T
E♭
T
F
½T
G♭
T
A♭
T
B♭
→
C+oct.
T
Scale Chords (triads)
| Degree | Chord (in C) | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| i° | C° | diminished |
| II | D♭ | Major |
| iii | E♭m | minor |
| iv | Fm | minor |
| V | G♭ | Major |
| VI | A♭ | Major |
| vii | B♭m | minor |
About this scale
The Locrian mode, with its diminished 5th (b5), is the most unstable diatonic mode. Rarely used in its pure form, it appears mainly on half-diminished (iiø7) chords in jazz cadences. Bass players use it as a passing color to reinforce harmonic instability.
See fretboard positions, piano and arpeggios for C Locrian in the interactive app.
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