D♭ Locrian Scale

D♭ locrian

Notes

D♭ · E♭♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭♭ · B♭♭ · C♭

Intervals

  • RootD♭ (1P)
  • Minor 2ndE♭♭ (2m)
  • Minor 3rdF♭ (3m)
  • Perfect 4thG♭ (4P)
  • Diminished 5thA♭♭ (5d)
  • Minor 6thB♭♭ (6m)
  • Minor 7thC♭ (7m)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912EG♭GABD♭DEBD♭DEG♭GABGABD♭DEG♭GDEG♭GABD♭DABD♭DEG♭GAEG♭GABD♭DE

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

Open in visualizer →

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

Modal character

D♭ Locrian is the 7th mode of D 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♭GABD♭DEG♭GABD♭DEG♭GA
Pattern 2frets 2–7
EBGDAE357G♭GABD♭DEG♭GABD♭DEG♭GAB
Pattern 3frets 3–9
EBGDAE3579GABD♭DEG♭GABD♭DEG♭GABD♭
Pattern 4frets 5–10
EBGDAE579ABD♭DEG♭GABD♭DEG♭GABD♭D
Pattern 5frets 7–12
EBGDAE791213BD♭DEG♭GABD♭DEG♭GABD♭DE
Pattern 6frets 9–14
EBGDAE912131415D♭DEG♭GABD♭DEG♭GABD♭DEG♭
Pattern 7frets 10–15
EBGDAE1213141516DEG♭GABD♭DEG♭GABD♭DEG♭G

Quartal voicings

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

All voicings
EBGDAE3EADG
E root
EBGDAE35BEAD
B root
EBGDAE35EADG
E root
EBGDAE35G♭BEA
Gb root
EBGDAE57D♭G♭BE
Db root
EBGDAE57G♭BEA
Gb root
EBGDAE79BEAD
B root
EBGDAE79EADG
E root
EBGDAE912BEAD
B root
EBGDAE912D♭G♭BE
Db root
EBGDAE912G♭BEA
Gb root
EBGDAE121314D♭G♭BE
Db root

Diagrams

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

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