About the D sharp Locrian scale
D sharp Locrian is used for jazz soloing over half-diminished chords and tense, dissonant passages. Think of it as the most unstable mode of all, restless and unresolved. It is D♯ Phrygian with the fifth lowered.
Its notes are D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A, B, and C♯. The formula is H W W H W W W. It is the seventh mode of E Major.
D♯ Locrian uses four black keys on the piano, D♯, F♯, G♯, and C♯.
Chords in the key of D sharp Locrian
Expand a chord to see how to play it.
i° D sharp diminished
D sharp diminished over F sharp (1st inversion)
II E
E over G sharp (1st inversion)
iii F sharp minor
F sharp minor over A (1st inversion)
iv G sharp minor
G sharp minor over B (1st inversion)
V A
A over C sharp (1st inversion)
VI B
B over D sharp (1st inversion)
vii C sharp minor
C sharp minor over E (1st inversion)
Seventh chords in D sharp Locrian
The four-note version of each chord, richer and jazzier.
i° D sharp minor seven flat five
D sharp minor seven flat five
II E major seven
E major seven
iii F sharp minor seven
F sharp minor seven
iv G sharp minor seven
G sharp minor seven
V A major seven
A major seven
VI B seven
B seven
vii C sharp minor seven
C sharp minor seven
Progressions in D sharp Locrian
Tap any chord to hear it, or play the whole progression.
Notes and intervals
| 1 | D#D♯ | Root |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | EE | Minor 2nd |
| 3 | F#F♯ | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | G#G♯ | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | AA | Diminished 5th |
| 6 | BB | Minor 6th |
| 7 | C#C♯ | Minor 7th |
| Steps | H W W H W W W |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 1-2-2-1-2-2-2 |
| Degrees | 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 |
Fingering
Suggested fingering, follows standard fingering rules
| Hand | D sharp | E | F sharp | G sharp | A | B | C sharp | D sharp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Left hand | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
Shapes
Chromatic
Circle of Fifths
Related scales
Locrian in other keys
Modes
The same notes, starting on a different note.