C♯ Locrian mode (D♭ Locrian)
C♯ Locrian mode is C♯ – D – E – F♯ – G – A – B, with C♯ and F♯. Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7. Press play and follow the keys.
The notes, one step at a time
The step pattern is H W W H W W W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between C♯–D and F♯–G.
| Degree | Note | Interval from C♯ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C♯ | root | |
| ♭2 | D | minor second | |
| ♭3 | E | minor third | |
| 4 | F♯ | perfect fourth | |
| ♭5 | G | tritone | |
| ♭6 | A | minor sixth | |
| ♭7 | B | minor seventh |
What C♯ 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 C♯m7♭5 chord: the ♭2 (D) and ♭5 (G) are the notes that make the mode sound like itself.
Compared with C♯ natural minor scale, C♯ Locrian mode has D and G where the other has D♯ and G♯; the other five notes are shared. Hear C♯ natural minor scale and compare.
C♯ Locrian mode uses the same seven notes as D major, starting from C♯ instead of D. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Locrian is playing it over a C♯ bass or chord.
On piano and on guitar
Keyboard players: two black (C♯ and F♯), five white.
18 notes fit in the box between frets 7 and 13, with C♯ at the 9th fret of the low E string.
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 C♯ Locrian mode; the ones that differ from the D major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know C♯ Locrian mode, you already know the notes of D major (starting on the 2nd note, D), E Dorian (starting on the 3rd note, E), F♯ Phrygian (starting on the 4th note, F♯), G Lydian (starting on the 5th note, G), A Mixolydian (starting on the 6th note, A) and B natural minor (starting on the 7th note, B).
Moving it around the guitar
Find C♯ first: fret 9 of the 6th string, fret 4 of the 5th. Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 2, 4, 6, 9 and 11) and you'll have it everywhere. Mostly used over a half-diminished chord rather than as a home key, because its tonic chord is unstable.
On the piano, C♯ Locrian mode uses 2 black keys (C♯ and F♯) and 5 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: C♯–E, D–F♯, E–G, F♯–A, G–B, A–C♯, B–D, then back down.
Practice patterns for C♯ Locrian mode
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Up in threes: C♯ D E · D E F♯ · E F♯ G · F♯ G A · G A B · A B C♯.
- Land on G: C♯ G C♯ G C♯: the ♭5 makes even the home chord unstable.
Scales to compare with C♯ Locrian
Locrian mode in every key
C♯ Locrian mode: questions
What are the notes of the C♯ Locrian mode?
C♯, D, E, F♯, G, A and B, then C♯ again at the octave. Formula: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the C♯ Locrian mode?
Two: C♯ and F♯.
What chords are in the C♯ Locrian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives C♯dim (i°), D (II), Em (iii), F♯m (iv), G (V), A (VI) and Bm (vii).
What's the difference between C♯ Locrian mode and C♯ natural minor scale?
D and G in C♯ Locrian; D♯ and G♯ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as C♯ Locrian mode?
D major. C♯ Locrian is D major played from its 7th note, C♯.
Notes and fingering generated from the scale formula and checked automatically against the step pattern. Updated September 2026.