E♭ Locrian Scale

E♭ locrian

Notes

E♭ · F♭ · G♭ · A♭ · B♭♭ · C♭ · D♭

Intervals

  • RootE♭ (1P)
  • Minor 2ndF♭ (2m)
  • Minor 3rdG♭ (3m)
  • Perfect 4thA♭ (4P)
  • Diminished 5thB♭♭ (5d)
  • Minor 6thC♭ (6m)
  • Minor 7thD♭ (7m)

Fretboard

EBGDAE357912EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭EBD♭E♭EG♭A♭ABA♭ABD♭E♭EG♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭AEG♭A♭ABD♭E♭E

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

Open in visualizer →

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

Modal character

E♭ Locrian is the 7th mode of E 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♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭A
Pattern 2frets 2–7
EBGDAE357G♭A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭AB
Pattern 3frets 4–9
EBGDAE579A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭
Pattern 4frets 5–11
EBGDAE57912ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭
Pattern 5frets 7–12
EBGDAE791213BD♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭E
Pattern 6frets 9–14
EBGDAE912131415D♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭
Pattern 7frets 11–16
EBGDAE121314151617E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭A♭ABD♭E♭EG♭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
EBGDAE57D♭G♭BE
Db root
EBGDAE3E♭A♭D♭G♭
Eb root
EBGDAE57A♭D♭G♭B
Ab root
EBGDAE79E♭A♭D♭G♭
Eb root
EBGDAE57G♭BEA
Gb root
EBGDAE912D♭G♭BE
Db root
EBGDAE912G♭BEA
Gb root
EBGDAE79A♭D♭G♭B
Ab root
EBGDAE121314E♭A♭D♭G♭
Eb root
EBGDAE121314A♭D♭G♭B
Ab root
EBGDAE121314D♭G♭BE
Db root

Diagrams

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

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