Construction
Step pattern (W = whole step, H = half step, A = augmented second, 3 half steps): H-W-W-H-W-A-H.
Formula (intervals from the root): 1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-7.
Locrian nat7 is Locrian (a mode -- 1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7 -- the darkest of the seven diatonic modes) with its b7 raised to a natural 7. That single change introduces an augmented second between b6 and 7 and plants a leading tone inside a scale that otherwise resists resolution.
Origin and Relationships
Locrian nat7 is a synthetic scale -- one not derived from any standard parent scale (major, melodic minor, harmonic minor) but constructed by modifying an existing mode.
- Base scale: Locrian with the 7th raised from b7 to natural 7. The raised 7th creates the augmented-second gap between b6 and 7 that gives this scale its exotic character.
- Compare to Locrian: both share b2, b3, b5, and b6, but Locrian has b7 where Locrian nat7 has natural 7. That natural 7 adds a leading tone and the augmented-second interval absent from standard Locrian.
- Not to be confused with Locrian nat2 (6th mode of melodic minor -- a mode is a scale derived by starting a parent scale from a different degree), which has natural 2 and b7. Compare to Locrian nat2: Locrian nat7 has b2 and natural 7 where Locrian nat2 has natural 2 and b7 -- the opposite modification.
Harmonic Context
- m(maj7)b5 (a minor chord with a diminished 5th and major 7th): The tonic chord this scale outlines (1-b3-b5-7). A rare voicing -- the major 7th against the b5 creates sharp dissonance that demands careful handling.
- Diminished quality with leading tone: The b5 keeps the diminished character of Locrian, while the natural 7 pulls toward the octave like a leading tone. These opposing forces give the scale its tension.
- Color scale: Locrian nat7 sits outside standard functional harmony. It works best as a brief, exotic color over a drone rather than as the basis for extended tonal passages. Think film scoring tension, progressive metal dissonance, or avant-garde jazz -- contexts where a few bars of unsettling color serve the music.
Characteristic Tones
The intervals that give this scale its distinctive sound:
- 7 (major seventh): The defining modification. Sits one half step below the octave, creating a leading-tone pull that standard Locrian completely lacks. The augmented second from b6 to 7 is the same interval that defines harmonic minor -- it signals exotic character wherever it appears, whether in Phrygian Dominant, harmonic minor, or here.
- b5 (diminished fifth): Central to the diminished quality. Compare to Locrian: the b5 is shared, but in Locrian nat7 it coexists with a major 7th, producing a min(maj7)b5 sound that is far more dissonant and unusual than Locrian's half-diminished quality.
- b2 (minor second): Retained from Locrian. Adds harsh, close-interval color against the root.
Melodic Applications
The augmented second between b6 and 7 is the most melodically distinctive motion in this scale -- lean into it. The major 7th provides a leading tone that wants to resolve to the octave, giving phrases a direction that standard Locrian lacks. Use Locrian nat7 sparingly: a few bars of dark, exotic tension over a drone, then resolve elsewhere. The ear accepts it as a passing shadow, not a destination.
Practice Seeds
The leading tone. Play b6-7-1 repeatedly. Hear the augmented second resolve upward through the leading tone -- this three-note motion is the scale's most characteristic sound.
Compare to Locrian. Play both scales from the same root. Hear how the raised 7th increases tension and adds directional pull -- Locrian drifts, Locrian nat7 yearns.
Drone tension. Set a low root note as a drone and play the scale slowly over it, pausing on b5, b6, and 7. Listen for how each degree pulls against the root differently -- the goal is to map the scale's tension points so you can target them deliberately.
The rare chord. Arpeggiate 1-b3-b5-7 slowly. Hear the min(maj7)b5 quality -- the major 7th against the diminished triad creates a sound found almost nowhere else.