A♯ Locrian mode (B♭ Locrian)
A♯ Locrian mode is A♯ – B – C♯ – D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯, with A♯, C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯. Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
Notes and steps
From A♯ upward the gaps are H W W H W W W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between A♯–B and D♯–E.
| Degree | Note | Interval from A♯ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A♯ | root | |
| ♭2 | B | minor second | |
| ♭3 | C♯ | minor third | |
| 4 | D♯ | perfect fourth | |
| ♭5 | E | tritone | |
| ♭6 | F♯ | minor sixth | |
| ♭7 | G♯ | minor seventh |
What A♯ Locrian sounds like
Locrian has a lowered 2nd and a lowered 5th, so its home chord is diminished. It's the least stable mode and is used more as a color over half-diminished chords than as a key.
Try it over a A♯m7♭5 chord: the ♭2 (B) and ♭5 (E) are the notes that make the mode sound like itself.
Compared with B♭ natural minor scale, A♯ Locrian mode has B and E where the other has C and F; the other five notes are shared. Hear B♭ natural minor scale and compare.
A♯ Locrian mode uses the same seven notes as B major, starting from A♯ instead of B. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Locrian is playing it over a A♯ bass or chord.
Playing A♯ Locrian
Keyboard players: five black (A♯, C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯), two white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 6th fret of the low E string and spans frets 4–10: 18 notes, low string to high.
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords that fit A♯ Locrian mode; the ones that differ from the B major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know A♯ Locrian mode, you already know the notes of C♯ Dorian (starting on the 3rd note, C♯), D♯ Phrygian (starting on the 4th note, D♯), E Lydian (starting on the 5th note, E), F♯ Mixolydian (starting on the 6th note, F♯), G♯ natural minor (starting on the 7th note, G♯) and B major (starting on the 2nd note, B).
Moving it around the guitar
Find A♯ first: fret 6 of the 6th string, fret 1 and 13 of the 5th. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 1, 3, 6, 8 and 11. Mostly used over a half-diminished chord rather than as a home key, because its tonic chord is unstable.
On the piano, A♯ Locrian mode uses 5 black keys (A♯, C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯) and 2 white.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: A♯–C♯, B–D♯, C♯–E, D♯–F♯, E–G♯, F♯–A♯, G♯–B.
Practice patterns for A♯ Locrian mode
Running a scale straight up and down only teaches the order. These patterns use the same 7 notes and train your ear and fingers to jump around inside A♯ Locrian mode.
- Up in threes: A♯ B C♯ · B C♯ D♯ · C♯ D♯ E · D♯ E F♯ · E F♯ G♯ · F♯ G♯ A♯.
- Target E: A♯ E A♯ E A♯: the ♭5 makes even the home chord unstable.
Scales to compare with A♯ Locrian
Locrian mode in every key
A♯ Locrian mode: questions
What are the notes of the A♯ Locrian mode?
A♯, B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯ and G♯, then A♯ again at the octave. Formula: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the A♯ Locrian mode?
Five: A♯, C♯, D♯, F♯ and G♯.
What chords are in the A♯ Locrian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives A♯dim (i°), B (II), C♯m (iii), D♯m (iv), E (V), F♯ (VI) and G♯m (vii).
What's the difference between A♯ Locrian mode and B♭ natural minor scale?
B and E in A♯ Locrian; C and F in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as A♯ Locrian mode?
B major. A♯ Locrian is B major played from its 7th note, A♯.
Generated from the step pattern 1-2-2-1-2-2-2 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.