Position 7th of 7 · F Major Family
Locrian is the 7th and final mode of the major scale, and by far the darkest and most unstable. Its flattened 2nd AND flattened 5th create an extremely dissonant, restless sound. The diminished 5th means the tonic chord is a half-diminished chord — it always wants to move. Locrian is rarely used as a home key but creates extreme tension in metal and jazz. In F Major, Locrian starts on E.
The step formula tells you the distance between each note — W = Whole step (2 frets), H = Half step (1 fret):
Scale degrees relative to the root:
Root, Minor 2nd, Minor 3rd, Perfect 4th, Diminished 5th (♭5), Minor 6th, Minor 7th
All 7 diatonic modes share the same notes — they just start on different degrees of the major scale. Locrian Mode is Position 7th of 7. Understanding this relationship is the foundation of the Dead Sea Scales system.
Once you know where Locrian Mode sits in the pattern, you can connect it to the other 6 modes and begin navigating the entire fretboard by shape instead of memorizing individual scales.
The Dead Sea Scales system extends beyond the 7 diatonic modes using the 5 Missing Notes™ framework — the 5 chromatic notes that fall outside the major scale. Each missing note generates 7 new mode variations, giving you 35 extended scales plus the 7 originals = 42 total modes.
Hear & play the Locrian Mode on an interactive fretboard
All 7 modes + 42 exotic scales · Every key · With audio · Free forever
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