Db Locrian

D flat Locrian scale for guitar.
The Db Locrian is a seven-note scale, it is also called a mode. Colored circles in the diagram mark the notes in the scale (darker color highlighting the root notes). In the fretboard pattern, the first root note is on the 6th string, 9th fret.

Db Locrian 2 octaves

Db Locrian scale diagram

Db Locrian full fretboard

Db Locrian scale whole guitar neck diagram

Db Locrian note names

Db Locrian scale with note letters diagram
Notes: Db - Ebb - Fb - Gb - Abb - Bbb - Cb Intervals: 1 - 2 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 Type: Septonic 

The scale displayed with its numeric formula, notes, intervals and scale degrees.

Formula Notes Intervals Degrees
1 Db Unison Tonic
b2 Ebb Minor second Supertonic
b3 Fb Minor third Mediant
4 Gb Perfect fourth Subdominant
b5 Abb Diminished fifth Dominant
b6 Bbb Minor sixth Submediant
b7 Cb Minor seventh Subtonic

The second degree is written as Ebb, which is the same as D. The third degree is written as Fb, which is the same as E. The fifth degree is written as Abb, which is the same as G. The sixth degree is written as Bbb, which is the same as A. The seventh degree is written as Cb, which is the same as B. A practice in a scale notation is to not include the same letter twice, if it can be avoided.

The D flat Locrian scale consists of seven notes. These can be described as steps on the guitar fingerboard according to the following formula: half, whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole from the first note to the same in the next octave.
The Db Locrian is a mode of the D Major Scale. It contains exactly the same notes, but starts on another note.

This scale is primarily used in jazz and is rare in popular music.
One way to learn this scale is to think of it as the D Major starting from its seventh note. Another way is to think of it as the Db Phrygian with a flattened 5th.

Chords that are related to this scale are the following:

Dbdim, Dbm7b5
D, Dmaj7, D6, D6/9, Dmaj9, Dmaj13
Em, Em7, Em6, Em9, Em11, Em13
Gbm, Gbm7
G, Gmaj7, G6, G6/9, Gmaj9, Gmaj13
A, A7, A6, A6/9, A9, A11, A13
Bm, Bm7, Bm9, Bm11

The tones in these chords correspond to the tones of the Db Locrian scale.

Related to Locrian are Locrian ♮2 and Locrian #6, being the 4th mode of the Melodic Minor and the 2nd mode of the Harmonic Minor.

The Db Locrian ♮2 scale, also called Db Half-diminished scale, is identical with the Db Locrian except for a major second instead of a minor second which is indicated by the natural symbol. It can be displayed as follows:

Formula Notes Intervals Degrees
1 Db Unison Tonic
2 Eb Major second Supertonic
b3 Fb Minor third Mediant
4 Gb Perfect fourth Subdominant
b5 Abb Diminished fifth Dominant
b6 Bbb Minor sixth Submediant
b7 Cb Minor seventh Subtonic

The Db Locrian ♮2 contains the same notes as the F Melodic Minor Scale, but starts on another note.

The Db Locrian #6 scale is identical with the Db Locrian except for a major sixth instead of a minor sixth which is indicated by the sharp symbol in the name. It can be displayed as follows:

Formula Notes Intervals Degrees
1 Db Unison Tonic
b2 Ebb Minor second Supertonic
b3 Fb Minor third Mediant
4 Gb Perfect fourth Subdominant
b5 Abb Diminished fifth Dominant
6 Bb Major sixth Submediant
b7 Cb Minor seventh Subtonic

The Db Locrian #6 contains the same notes as the B Harmonic Minor Scale, but starts on another note.