Play the locrian (vii) scale on the ukulele
Locrian mode is the seventh and final mode of the major scale. With its diminished fifth, it's the most unstable and dissonant mode, used to create tension and suspense.
Intervals table
| I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root | Minor second | Minor third | Perfect fourth | Diminished fifth | Minor sixth | Minor seventh |
| 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| — | +1 | +2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +2 |
Theoretical construction
Locrian mode is the seventh degree of the major scale. If you play a C major scale starting from B, you get B Locrian. Its diminished fifth (♭5) destroys harmonic stability - the I° chord is an unstable diminished chord. The tritone between the tonic and ♭5 creates maximum dissonance. Historically considered 'theoretical' because difficult to use, it now finds its place in jazz on ½dim7 chords and in extreme metal for tense atmospheric passages.
Position examples
Example with A Locrian (VII)
