A♭ Locrian Scale

A♭ locrian

Notes

A♭ · B♭♭ · C♭ · D♭ · E♭♭ · F♭ · G♭

Intervals

  • RootA♭ (1P)
  • Minor 2ndB♭♭ (2m)
  • Minor 3rdC♭ (3m)
  • Perfect 4thD♭ (4P)
  • Diminished 5thE♭♭ (5d)
  • Minor 6thF♭ (6m)
  • Minor 7thG♭ (7m)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912EG♭A♭ABD♭DEBD♭DEG♭A♭ABA♭ABD♭DEG♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭DABD♭DEG♭A♭AEG♭A♭ABD♭DE

On the fretboard, A represents B♭♭, B represents C♭, D represents E♭♭, and E represents F♭.

Open in visualizer →

Adjust labels, frets, and palette in the interactive view.

Modal character

A♭ Locrian is the 7th mode of A Major — the same seven notes started from its 7th degree.

1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

Characteristic note — flat 5th (♭5). The ♭5 makes Locrian the only mode built on a diminished tonic triad — the most unstable of the seven and rarely used as a key center.

Locrian is the mode of the half-diminished (m7♭5) chord and is most useful over the iiø of a minor ii–V–i. Its restless quality comes from the ♭2 and ♭5 that frame the root.

Chords that use this mode

3-Notes-Per-String positions

Seven movable patterns, each covering all 6 strings with 3 consecutive scale tones per string. Root notes are shown in red.

All 7 patterns
Pattern 1open · frets 0–5
EBGDAE35EG♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭A
Pattern 2frets 2–7
EBGDAE357G♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭AB
Pattern 3frets 4–9
EBGDAE579A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭
Pattern 4frets 5–10
EBGDAE579ABD♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭D
Pattern 5frets 7–12
EBGDAE791213BD♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭DE
Pattern 6frets 9–14
EBGDAE912131415D♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭
Pattern 7frets 10–16
EBGDAE121314151617DEG♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭ABD♭DEG♭A♭

Quartal voicings

Stacked perfect 4ths across four adjacent strings, sorted nut to heel. Root notes are circled in red.

All voicings
EBGDAE35G♭BEA
Gb root
EBGDAE35BEAD
B root
EBGDAE57G♭BEA
Gb root
EBGDAE57A♭D♭G♭B
Ab root
EBGDAE57D♭G♭BE
Db root
EBGDAE79A♭D♭G♭B
Ab root
EBGDAE79BEAD
B root
EBGDAE912G♭BEA
Gb root
EBGDAE912BEAD
B root
EBGDAE912D♭G♭BE
Db root
EBGDAE121314A♭D♭G♭B
Ab root
EBGDAE121314D♭G♭BE
Db root

Diagrams

Ab Locrian Scale fretboard charts — tap any diagram to open it full size to save or print.

Ab Locrian Scale — notes Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db, Ebb, Fb, Gb shown across the full guitar fretboard, frets 0 to 12.
Whole neck — frets 0–12
Ab Locrian Scale — seven 3-notes-per-string positions shown as fretboard neck slices.
Seven 3NPS positions
Ab Locrian Scale — quartal voicings shown as chord-box diagrams for all four roots.
Quartal voicings — 3 string sets, sorted nut to heel