Locrian mode

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The Locrian mode is a musical mode or diatonic scale. It may be considered a minor scale with the second and fifth scale degrees lowered a semi-tone. The Locrian mode may also be considered as a scale beginning on the seventh scale degree of any Ionian, or major scale.

Some examples:

• The B Locrian mode starts on B and contains the same notes as C Major scale. (B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B)
• The E Locrian mode starts on E and contains the same notes as F Major Scale. (E, F, G, A, B♭, C, D, E)

The Locrian mode is the only modern diatonic mode in which the tonic chord is a diminished chord, resulting in a tonic chord that is considered dissonant. For example, the tonic chord of B Locrian is spelled B, D, F. The interval between the tonic (B) and the dominant (F) is a diminished fifth or tritone.

The Locrian mode was of mainly theoretical importance in classical music before the 1850s because of the large amount of dissonance created within the scale and its corresponding chord. In more recent musical pieces, the dissonance or musical imbalance created by the Locrian scale and chord have fallen back in favour (especially in Jazz) in order to create a sense of large tension.

Heavy metal musicians also use Locrian mode. An example, more from the progressive hard rock genre, is the first section of the instrumental "YYZ" by Rush: the synthesizer melody is in C Locrian, over a guitar riff based on the C-Gb tritone.

The Locrian mode comes from the music theory of ancient Greece. However, what is now called the Locrian mode was what the Greeks called the Mixolydian mode. The original Greek Locrian mode seems to have been tuned to a natural A mode, but how it differed from the Aeolian and Hypodorian modes is unclear.

Locrian "sharp 2" [1]

This name is frequently applied to Mode VI of the ascending melodic minor scale. It may also be regarded as the "Aeolian Mode, flat 5", and is sometimes called the half diminished scale, although musicians rarely use this term due to possible confusion with the diminished scales (see octatonic scales) and the half-diminished seventh chord (Min. 7, flat 5).

[edit] External links

Locrian mode for guitar at GOSK.com

Modes of the diatonic scale	edit
Lydian (IV) | Ionian (I) | Mixolydian (V)
Dorian (II) | Aeolian (VI) | Phrygian (III) | Locrian (VII)