B Locrian Mode
Unstable, diminished mode with flat 2nd and flat 5th
What is the B Locrian Mode?
Locrian is the seventh mode of the major scale — the major scale started from its 7th degree. It has a flat 2 AND a flat 5, which makes its tonic chord a half-diminished triad (m7b5). With no perfect 5th to anchor it, Locrian is the only mode whose 'home' chord is unstable, which is why almost no songs are written 'in Locrian' as a tonal centre.
Notes in the scale: B – C – D – E – F – G – A
Intervals: Root, b2, b3, 4, b5, #5, b7 (measured from the root)
Parent key: C major — shares the same seven notes
Progressions where the B Locrian Mode fits
iim7b5-V7-i (jazz minor turnaround) — in C minor
Bm7b5 → G7 → Cm
When to use the B Locrian Mode
B Locrian Mode draws its notes from C major, starting on B. Use Locrian over half-diminished m7b5 chords, which appear as the ii of a minor-key ii-V-i turnaround in jazz (Bm7b5 → E7 → Am in A minor). It also surfaces in metal and prog when a band wants pure unresolved tension. Treat Locrian as an arrival mode for moments, not as the home of a song.
Blues Improvisation
Master blues soloing
Practice with Improvisio
See how the B Locrian Mode works over chord progressions.
Try it in the trainer