7th Mode of Major · H–W–W–H–W–W–W
The seventh mode of the major scale — the only mode with a diminished tonic chord, making it the most unstable and dissonant of all seven modes. Locrian is rare in tonal music but appears in metal, progressive jazz, and experimental composition.
The cool grays and steel palette on this page is inspired by music-color synesthesia — a neurological phenomenon where people perceive colors when hearing music. Synesthetes commonly associate Locrian mode with cool grays and steel, reflecting its unstable and unresolved tension.
Locrian mode in all 18 keys — click any card for full diagrams, fingerings, audio, and notation.
It is the only mode where the tonic chord is diminished — meaning there is no stable home base. Compared to Phrygian, Locrian lowers just one additional note: the 5th. That single change destroys the perfect fifth of the tonic triad, making Locrian unable to establish a traditional tonal centre. Its primary practical use in jazz is over half-diminished (m7♭5) chords.
Locrian mode begins on the seventh degree of the major scale and is the most unusual of all seven modes. Its tonic triad is diminished — both the third and the fifth are flatted — making it tonally unstable and rarely used as a primary key center. Locrian creates extreme tension and dissonance that rarely resolves in traditional ways.