Formula
- Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 b5 6 b7.
- Steps: H W W H 1½ H W (1 2 2 1 3 1 2 semitones).
- Parent scale: 2nd mode of harmonic minor. B Locrian #6 = notes of A harmonic minor from B: B C D E F G# A.
- On C: C Db Eb F Gb A Bb (from Bb harmonic minor). On D: D Eb F G Ab B C (from C harmonic minor).
Alternative name: Locrian ♮6 (Locrian with a major 6th).
Characteristic note and color
It is Locrian with the major 6th: that 6th is the leading tone of the reference minor key (G# in A minor, above the B). An augmented 2nd arises between the b5 and the 6 (F – G# over B). Color: dark and unstable like Locrian, with a flash of light and chromatic tension.
Diatonic chords (C Locrian #6)
| Degree | Triad | Seventh |
|---|---|---|
| i° | C° | Cø7 |
| bII+ | Db+ | Dbmaj7#5 |
| biii | Ebm | Ebm7 |
| IV | F | F7 |
| bV | Gb | Gbmaj7 |
| vi° | A° | A°7 |
| bvii | Bbm | Bbm(maj7) |
Where it is used (chord-scale)
Locrian #6 is the scale of the iiø7 in a “harmonic” minor key: in A minor, Bø7 – E7 – Am. Playing B C D E F G# A over Bø7 means anticipating the leading tone G# of the following dominant. It is therefore coherent when the key is felt as harmonic minor from the start of the ii–V–i.
Compared with the alternatives over a ø7:
| Scale | 6th above the root | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Locrian | b6 (G over B) | Aeolian, soft |
| Locrian #2 | b6, but natural 9 | modern jazz |
| Locrian #6 | 6 (G#) | anticipates the leading tone, “harmonic” color |
The major 6th above a ø7 is a 13th: Bø7(13) is an unusual color; the G# is often used as a passing tone or in the melody, less as a held note of the voicing.
Use in genres
- Jazz: in lines over the minor ii–V–i, to tie the ø7 to the V7b9 with the same parent scale (the whole ii–V–i in harmonic minor).
- Neoclassical metal and Baroque music: phrases that start from the 2nd degree of harmonic minor (scale sequences, B° arpeggios with the G# as a neighbor tone).
- Film and video game music: unsettling atmospheres, ostinatos on a tritone with a major-6th appoggiatura.
Melodies
- Typical gesture: b5 – 6 – b7 – 1 (F – G# – A – B in B): the augmented 2nd followed by a scale.
- Over Bø7 the phrase G# – A – B “prepares” the dominant E7.
Common mistakes
- Holding the G# for a long time over a Bø7 with the G natural in the voicing: a semitone clash.
- Using it over a ø7 that is a vii of a major key (Bø7 in C major): the G# does not belong to the key.
- Thinking it is a mode to use for entire pieces: it is mainly a passing scale over the ii.
Exercise
- ii–V–i in A minor: Bø7 – E7b9 – Am(maj7); improvise using only A harmonic minor over all three chords, starting the phrases from the B over Bø7.
- Write a B° arpeggio with the G# as a neighbor tone (B D F G# F D B).
- Compare on Bø7 the same phrase with G and with G#.
Connections
Harmonic minor and its modes; Locrian mode; Locrian #2; The jazz ii–V–I; Chord-scale theory.