Locrian ♮6 scale in B
Locrian ♮6 scale in B: B, C, D, E, F, G# and A, the degrees 1–b2–b3–4–b5–6–b7. 2nd mode of harmonic minor: a Locrian with a major 6th, a brighter color for the half-diminished m7(b5) chord.
Start the harmonic minor scale from its second degree and you get Locrian ♮6 — in other words, its 2nd mode: the same notes with a different home base. Compared with plain Locrian, the 6th is raised, and that single note brightens a mode that usually sounds unstable: the foundation stays tense, with its flat 5th, but a spot of light opens up along the way. Its natural home is the half-diminished chord — that is, m7(b5) — where it lends a slightly less gloomy color; beyond that, it lives more in study and composition than in everyday repertoire.
Example: B – C – D – E – F – G# – AFormula: 1 – b2 – b3 – 4 – b5 – 6 – b7In the formula, the numbers are degrees — positions counted in the reference major scale; "b" lowers a half step and "#" raises one.
Family: Harmonic minor and its modes.
The major seventh creates a strong leading tone and enables the V7 chord in a minor key. In popular practice the most relevant modes of the family are harmonic minor itself and phrygian dominant.
Chords in the harmonic field
These are the seven chords born from this scale — one built on each of its notes. Put another way: the set of chords that sounds naturally "inside" the scale. See the harmonic field of every key →
The same scale on all four instruments
In the diagrams, each dot carries its scale degree — 1 is the tonic, highlighted.