F Locrian

Unstable, tense, dissonant — built from G♭ major

PARENT FAMILY · G♭ MAJ

All 7 modes share the same parent scale (G♭ major). F Locrian is the VII mode.

#	Mode	Diatonic chords	Mood
I	G♭ Ionian	G♭maj7 – A♭m7 – B♭m7 – Bmaj7 – D♭7 – E♭m7 – Fm7♭5	Happy, bright, resolved
II	A♭ Dorian	A♭m7 – B♭m7 – Bmaj7 – D♭7 – E♭m7 – Fm7♭5 – G♭maj7	Soulful, minor but with hope
III	B♭ Phrygian	B♭m7 – Bmaj7 – D♭7 – E♭m7 – Fm7♭5 – G♭maj7 – A♭m7	Dark, tense, Spanish/flamenco
IV	B Lydian	Bmaj7 – C♯7 – D♯m7 – Fm7♭5 – F♯maj7 – G♯m7 – A♯m7	Dreamy, floating, ethereal
V	D♭ Mixolydian	D♭7 – E♭m7 – Fm7♭5 – G♭maj7 – A♭m7 – B♭m7 – Bmaj7	Bluesy, dominant, rock
VI	E♭ Aeolian	E♭m7 – Fm7♭5 – G♭maj7 – A♭m7 – B♭m7 – Bmaj7 – D♭7	Melancholic, natural minor
VII	F Locrian	Fm7♭5 – G♭maj7 – A♭m7 – B♭m7 – Bmaj7 – D♭7 – E♭m7	Unstable, tense, dissonant

SCALE · 7 NOTES · 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

F G♭ A♭ B♭ B D♭ E♭

Formula: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

The Locrian scale on F contains the notes F, G♭, A♭, B♭, B, D♭, E♭. The pentatonic subset is F, A♭, B♭, B, E♭.

Characteristic note: the ♭5 (diminished fifth) makes it unstable and rarely used as a tonal center.

DIATONIC 7ths · CHORD PAD

I

Fm7♭5

II

G♭maj7

III

A♭m7

IV

B♭m7

V

Bmaj7

VI

D♭7

VII

E♭m7

▸ Play F Locrian over Fm7♭5 and D♭7 progressions.

FRETBOARD · STANDARD TUNING · 15F● LIVE

CHARACTER · UNSTABLE, TENSE, DISSONANT

UNSTABLE, TENSE, DISSONANT

F Locrian is a minor mode with a unstable, tense, dissonant character. It is the VII mode of G♭ major — it uses the same 7 notes as G♭ Ionian but is rooted on F, which shifts the harmonic focus and creates a completely different sound. The tonic chord is Fm7♭5.

Where to use F Locrian

Metal, jazz, used sparingly.

Famous examples

Half-diminished chord contexts
Metallica solos

What makes it distinctive: the ♭5 (diminished fifth) makes it unstable and rarely used as a tonal center.

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