‘B locrian’ is the 7th mode of the C Major scale. The notes in B locrian are:
B – C – D – E – F – G – A
If you have read the post on understanding the locrian mode, you will know that the locrian mode contains a ‘flat 2’, a ‘flat 3’ a ‘flat 5’ a ‘flat 6’ and a ‘flat 7’ (parallel approach). You will also know that it is the 7th mode of the major scale (derivative approach). The locrian mode is a very ‘dark’ sounding mode and is probably the hardest of the 7 modes to get acquainted with. Let’s briefly look at how to construct B locrian using both the parallel approach and the derivative approach.
B Locrian Mode Using The Parallel Approach
B Major scale has the following notes:
B – C# – D# – E – F# – G# – A#
If we ‘lower’ the 2nd note (C#), 3rd note (D#), 5th note (F#), 6th note (G#) and 7th note (A#), we get the following:
B – C – D – E – F – G – A
B Locrian Mode Using The Derivative Approach
B is the 7th note of the C Major scale:
C – D – E – F – G – A – B
If we play the C Major scale and start on the 7th note we get the following:
B – C – D – E – F – G – A
Let’s look at the B locrian mode in the different positions on the guitar fretboard:
B Locrian in the Open Position
Firstly, let’s look at the open position:
B Locrian Mode CAGED Positions
Now let’s look at B locrian in the 5 different CAGED positions along the fretboard.
B Locrian in the 1st Position (Lowest Fret is 1)
B Locrian in the 4th Position (Lowest Fret is 4)
B Locrian in the 7th Position (Lowest Fret is 7)
B Locrian in the 8th Position (Lowest Fret is 8)
B Locrian in the 12th Position (Lowest Fret is 12)
That covers the 5 basic positions and the open position of C# locrian along the guitar fretboard. For an in depth explanation of the locrian mode, check out locrian mode explained.
Further Reading
- B diminished chord (B locrian works well over this chord)
- Bm7b5 chord (B locrian works well over this chord)
- C Major scale (B locrian is the seventh mode of the C Major scale)
