About the D flat Locrian #2 scale
D flat Locrian #2 is used for jazz soloing over half-diminished chords. Think of it as a locrian scale rescued a little by a natural second. It is D♭ Natural Minor with the fifth lowered.
Its notes are D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭♭, B♭♭, and C♭. The formula is W H W H W W W. It is the sixth mode of F♭ Melodic Minor Ascending.
Also called Half-Diminished and Aeolian ♭5.
An unfretted guitar already sounds E, A, G, and B from the mode. The lowest D♭ on a standard-tuned guitar sits at the 4th fret of the A string. With a capo at the first fret, D♭ Locrian ♯2 can be played with C-shape fingerings.
Positions
Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.
CAGED
Five shapes, each anchored to a chord form you already know, the pop and rock default that ties your scales to your chords. The outlined notes are that chord, so you can see the C, A, G, E, and D shapes inside the scale.
3NPS
3NPS stands for 3 notes per string. It lays the scale out in seven even shapes for rock and metal lead, and favors speed because the picking pattern stays consistent across every string.
7-position system
7 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method.
Chords in the key of D flat Locrian #2
Expand a chord to see how to play it.
Seventh chords in D flat Locrian #2
The four-note version of each chord, richer and jazzier.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | DbD♭ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | EbE♭ | Major 2nd |
| 3 | FbF♭ | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | GbG♭ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | AbbA♭♭ | Diminished 5th |
| 6 | BbbB♭♭ | Minor 6th |
| 7 | CbC♭ | Minor 7th |
| Steps | W H W H W W W |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 2-1-2-1-2-2-2 |
| Degrees | 1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Locrian #2 in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.
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