D♯ Locrian mode (E♭ Locrian)
D♯ Locrian mode is D♯ – E – F♯ – G♯ – A – B – C♯, with D♯, F♯, G♯ and C♯. Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
Notes and steps
From D♯ upward the gaps are H W W H W W W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between D♯–E and G♯–A.
| Degree | Note | Interval from D♯ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D♯ | root | |
| ♭2 | E | minor second | |
| ♭3 | F♯ | minor third | |
| 4 | G♯ | perfect fourth | |
| ♭5 | A | tritone | |
| ♭6 | B | minor sixth | |
| ♭7 | C♯ | minor seventh |
What D♯ Locrian sounds like
D♯ Locrian is the mode whose tonic triad (D♯dim) has no perfect fifth. You'll meet it over D♯m7♭5 chords in jazz rather than as the key of a song.
Its home chord is D♯dim, diminished, so Locrian rarely works as a key; it's used over D♯m7♭5, where every note fits.
Compared with E♭ natural minor scale, D♯ Locrian mode has E and A where the other has F and B♭; the other five notes are shared. Hear E♭ natural minor scale and compare.
D♯ Locrian mode uses the same seven notes as E major, starting from D♯ instead of E. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Locrian is playing it over a D♯ bass or chord.
Where your hands go
D♯, F♯, G♯ and C♯ are on black keys; the rest are white.
18 notes fit in the box between frets 9 and 15, with D♯ at the 11th 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 D♯ Locrian mode; the ones that differ from the E major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
D♯ Locrian mode shares all its notes with C♯ natural minor (starting on the 7th note, C♯), E major (starting on the 2nd note, E), F♯ Dorian (starting on the 3rd note, F♯), G♯ Phrygian (starting on the 4th note, G♯), A Lydian (starting on the 5th note, A) and B Mixolydian (starting on the 6th note, B). Which one you hear depends on which note the music treats as home.
D♯ Locrian mode across the fretboard
Find D♯ first: fret 11 of the 6th string, fret 6 of the 5th. Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 1, 4, 6, 8 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, D♯ Locrian mode uses 4 black keys (D♯, F♯, G♯ and C♯) and 3 white.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: D♯–F♯, E–G♯, F♯–A, G♯–B, A–C♯, B–D♯, C♯–E.
Practice patterns for D♯ Locrian mode
Once D♯ Locrian is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Three-note runs: D♯ E F♯ · E F♯ G♯ · F♯ G♯ A · G♯ A B · A B C♯ · B C♯ D♯.
- Target A: D♯ A D♯ A D♯: the ♭5 makes even the home chord unstable.
Try next, from D♯
Locrian mode in every key
D♯ Locrian mode: questions
What are the notes of the D♯ Locrian mode?
D♯, E, F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D♯. As degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the D♯ Locrian mode?
Four: D♯, F♯, G♯ and C♯.
What chords are in the D♯ Locrian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives D♯dim (i°), E (II), F♯m (iii), G♯m (iv), A (V), B (VI) and C♯m (vii).
What's the difference between D♯ Locrian mode and E♭ natural minor scale?
E and A in D♯ Locrian; F and B♭ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as D♯ Locrian mode?
E major. D♯ Locrian is E major played from its 7th note, D♯.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.