A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) Scale on Guitar — 2 Shapes to Play the Whole Neck
A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) is a mode of the melodic minor (jazz minor) scale, a favorite in jazz and fusion improvisation — its notes are A B C D Eb F G, from the formula 1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7. This exact root/scale pairing computes to 2 repeating shapes on the neck.
A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) Scale Notes
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1 |
| 2 | B | 2 |
| 3 | C | b3 |
| 4 | D | 4 |
| 5 | Eb | b5 |
| 6 | F | b6 |
| 7 | G | b7 |
A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) Formula
Degree formula: 1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7
Whole – Half – Whole – Half – Whole – Whole – Whole
A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) on the Guitar Fretboard
The notes of Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) repeat across the guitar fretboard in connected positions. Use the shape below to identify root notes, scale degrees, and neighboring shapes.
- Frets 1–11 (span 10 frets)
- Lowest note F, highest note Eb
- 3 A root notes, on the E string (fret 5), D string (fret 7), B string (fret 10)
How to practice this shape
- Start on the root — A at fret 5 on the E string. Play up to the highest note in the shape, then back down, staying inside frets 1–11.
- Your hand shifts 5 times as you cross strings: E→A (+1), A→D (+1), D→G (+1), G→B (+2), B→E (+1). Those crossings — not the notes — are what this position is really asking you to learn.
- Once it feels automatic, move on to the next of the 2 shapes — together they cover the whole neck, and the same pattern repeats from there.
Diatonic chords
These are the 7 chords built from A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished)'s own notes — the ones that will sound like they belong when you're writing a progression, backing a melody, or jamming in this key. The Roman numeral shows each chord's role in the key: capital for major, lowercase for minor, ° for diminished, + for augmented. Not every scale produces a clean chord on every degree — where that happens, we show it honestly instead of forcing a name that doesn't fit.
A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) Scale Relationships
- Parent scale: C Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending)
A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) FAQ
A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) contains the notes A, B, C, D, Eb, F, G.
A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) is a mode of C Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending).
A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) has a flatted 3rd degree, giving it a minor character. It's derived from C Melodic Minor (Jazz, Ascending).
The diatonic chords in A Locrian ♮2 (Half-Diminished) are Adim, Bdim, Cm, Dm, Ebaug, F, G.