E Locrian ♮2 Scale

What is the E Locrian ♮2 Scale?

Locrian ♮2 is the sixth mode of the melodic minor scale, and it solves a practical problem: standard Locrian's ♭2 clashes badly with the root over half-diminished chords, but this version keeps a natural 2nd. It's the preferred scale choice for m7♭5 chords in modern jazz, giving you all the darkness of Locrian without the harshest dissonance. Here's how the E Locrian ♮2 Scale lays out on the fretboard.

Notes and Positions

Locrian with a natural 2nd; 6th mode of melodic minor. Used over half-diminished chords in jazz. On bass, this scale becomes a toolkit for strong roots, passing tones, and melodic fills that still support the groove. Think in root-on-E and root-on-A boxes, then adapt the same notes for 5-string bass when the low B string gives you another root below the pattern. In the key of E, the notes are: E, F#, G, A, Bb, C, D.

How to Use It

You'll often hear it in Jazz, Fusion, and Half-diminished chords. A good way to internalize the sound is to sing the root, then sing a few scale degrees before you play them.

Build two-bar bass lines that return to the root before experimenting with wider melodic movement. Use the interactive fretboard above to spot repeats of the same note on different strings and frets.