C

Modes Scale

C Locrian

The 7th mode — only mode with a diminished 5th. Unstable and rarely used as home key.

Notes in C Locrian

C1
C#2
D#3
F4
F#5
G#6
A#7
C8

Chords in C Locrian

7 diatonic chords
DegreeChordNotesQuality
iC°C – D# – F#diminished
IIC#C# – F – G#major
iiiD#mD# – F# – A#minor
ivFmF – G# – Cminor
VF#F# – A# – C#major
VIG#G# – C – D#major
viiA#mA# – C# – Fminor

Other Scales in C

MajorC, D, E, F, G, A, BNatural MinorC, D, D#, F, G, G#, A#Harmonic MinorC, D, D#, F, G, G#, BMelodic MinorC, D, D#, F, G, A, BDorianC, D, D#, F, G, A, A#PhrygianC, C#, D#, F, G, G#, A#LydianC, D, E, F#, G, A, BMixolydianC, D, E, F, G, A, A#Major PentatonicC, D, E, G, AMinor PentatonicC, D#, F, G, A#BluesC, D#, F, F#, G, A#Whole ToneC, D, E, F#, G#, A#Diminished (H-W)C, C#, D#, E, F#, G, A, A#Diminished (W-H)C, D, D#, F, F#, G#, A, BPhrygian DominantC, C#, E, F, G, G#, A#Hungarian MinorC, D, D#, F#, G, G#, BLydian DominantC, D, E, F#, G, A, A#

Locrian in All 12 Keys

CC C# D# F F# G# A#C#D♭Db D E Gb G A BDD D# F G G# A# CD#E♭Eb E Gb Ab A B DbEE F G A A# C DFF Gb Ab Bb B Db EbF#G♭F# G A B C D EGG G# A# C C# D# FG#A♭Ab A B Db D E GbAA A# C D D# F GA#B♭Bb B Db Eb E Gb AbBB C D E F G A

Practice by Ear

Scale RecognitionIdentify the Locrian scale by ear →Play C LocrianHear the scale and practice recognising it →Chord Recognition TrainerIdentify the chords above by ear →Progression TrainerIdentify common progressions in this key →

Chords in C Locrian

The C locrian scale contains the notes C, C#, D#, F, F#, G#, A#. The 7th mode — only mode with a diminished 5th. Unstable and rarely used as home key.

The diatonic chords in C locrian are C° (i), C# (II), D#m (iii), Fm (iv), F# (V), G# (VI), A#m (vii). These are the chords you can use when writing or improvising in this key — every note in each chord belongs to the C locrian scale.

To develop your ear for the C locrian sound, use the scale and chord trainers linked above. Being able to recognise these sounds by ear — not just read them from a chart — is what separates musicians who truly hear music from those who only read it.