C# Locrian: A Dissonant Mode from Fret 9
C#, D, E, F#, G, A and B form the C# Locrian scale, and the spelling is clean, with no double accidentals. These are the notes of D major, but with C# as the home note the sound turns tense: the 5th, G, is a tritone above the root.
Find C# on the 9th fret of the low E string, or on the 4th fret of the A string. Mastering how this mode is built pays off in jazz settings too; see which scale fits which chord.
Play the C# locrian scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the C# locrian scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| C# | 1 | Root | 0 |
| D | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| E | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| F# | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| G | b5 | Tritone | 6 |
| A | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| B | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
C# locrian scale notes:
How the locrian scale is built:
The locrian scale is built from the degrees 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7, which gives the step pattern H-W-W-H-W-W-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is mode 7 of the Major Scale, so both scales share the same notes from a different starting point.
C# Locrian Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (B)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the C# locrian scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Related modes
These scales share the same notes as the locrian scale, starting from a different degree.
The locrian scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
