The Locrian Mode

What does Locrian sound like?

Locrian has a darker, minor sound just like the Aeolian, Dorian and Phrygian modes. It has the minor third all these previously mentioned modes have, it has the minor second also   present in Phrygian, but most importantly: instead of a natural fifth, it has a diminished fifth —Locrian’s most characteristic note.

The reason the diminished fifth is so distinctive is because it transforms the tonic triad into a diminished chord, which is highly unstable—particularly for a chord that is supposed to be the “home” of the key! As a result, achieving a proper sense of tension-resolution within the Locrian mode, without alluding to other keys or modes, becomes challenging..

A great example of how Locrian sounds can be found in the song 'Dust to Dust' by English folk musician John Kirkpatrick. The vocal melody, accompanied by a concertina, moves from the tonic B to other notes in the B Locrian mode, occasionally emphasizing some of them. In doing so, it subtly and perhaps unintentionally hints at resolution towards other, more stable tonal centers.

Learning the Locrian Mode

Locrian is built upon the following unique pattern of whole-steps and half-steps: H-W-W-H-W-W-W.

You can also try playing Locrian using the C major scale as a reference—just like the rest of the modes.

^{C major scale starting on C}

If you play the notes of the C major scale, but start and end on B (the seventh note of C major) instead of C, you will end up with the B Locrian scale.

Mnemonic: “Lock the white Box” (Locrian: all white keys starting from B)

^{B Locrian starting on B}

Alternative Methods 

Here are some additional ways to play in Locrian: 

• Pick a starting note
• Play the notes of the major scale a minor second below the starting note

For instance, if you wanted to play Locrian in E, play the F major scale starting on E.Also, if you’re more familiar with the Phrygian mode, you can also play it in any key, flatten the fifth and it will be Locrian!

Composing Tips for Locrian

As we previously mentioned, the sound of this mode is exceptionally unstable; and this is even more evident when trying to utilize the chords made from its notes. You can try some alternative approaches to overcome the inherent difficulties that might most certainly come from this phenomenon:

• Hold the tonic as a bass pedal note throughout your entire composition (or alternatively, an entire section), so the tonal center is clearly and unambiguously defined.
• Use a bassline that doesn't move away too much from the tonic. Some good notes to include are the b2 and b7, in order to add a subtle sense of tension and resolution.
• Limit yourself to 2-part harmony, for example a melody and one additional, harmonizing voice, to avoid unintentionally hinting at other modes and tonal centers with triads and tetrads.
• Don’t harmonize your melodies at all—just use separate monophonic lines.

You can hear the first approach in action on “The Mines of Narshe”, from the Final Fantasy VI OST. Here, the composer holds a bass pedal B note for the first eight bars of the theme, successfully achieving an unambiguously Locrian sound.

Another good example is “Samasa Desert”, from The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. In this case, the second and fourth approaches mentioned above are used for the melody and bassline that make the eight bars intro—undoubtedly staying in the E Locrian mode.

Super Locrian (Altered scale)

An alternative Locrian scale you can use is the Altered Scale, also known as Super Locrian or Locrian b4. It has an even darker but ambiguous sound—due to the presence of both a minor third and a diminished fourth (enharmonically equivalent to a major third).

^{C Super Locrian starting on C}

Its construction is exactly the same as the Locrian mode, but, as we mentioned, it has a diminished fourth instead of the natural counterpart. It follows the subsequent pattern of half-steps and whole-steps: H-W-H-W-W-W-W.

It is called altered because it’s usually played over altered dominant chords, where all the notes other than the tonic, major third and minor seventh are present in an altered form—that means flat or sharp notes.

Summary

Locrian is an uncommonly used mode with a dark and otherworldly sound. Composers often avoid writing in Locrian due to its tense harmonic qualities. Its diminished fifth turns the tonic triad into a diminished chord, making achieving proper, unambiguous resolution a challenge.

The notes of the Locrian mode can be obtained by following either of these three methods:

1. Use the whole-step/half-step pattern of H-W-W-H-W-W-W.
2. Play any major scale, but start from the minor second below the tonic. Example: Play the C major scale but both starting and ending on B instead of C (“Lock the white Box”).
3. Play in the Phrygian mode, but flatten the fifth.

Learn the other Modes