D Locrian Scale
4-string bass · mode VII · 7 notes · minor family
Notes
D
E♭
F
G
A♭
B♭
C
Solfège : Ré – Mi♭ – Fa – Sol – La♭ – Si♭ – Do
Interval Structure
D
½T
E♭
T
F
T
G
½T
A♭
T
B♭
T
C
→
D+oct.
T
Scale Chords (triads)
| Degree | Chord (in D) | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| i° | D° | diminished |
| II | E♭ | Major |
| iii | Fm | minor |
| iv | Gm | minor |
| V | A♭ | Major |
| VI | B♭ | Major |
| vii | Cm | 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 D Locrian in the interactive app.
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