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D-sharp Locrian Mode
The D-sharp Locrian mode uses the notes of E major, starting on D-sharp: D-sharp, E, F-sharp, G-sharp, A, B, and C-sharp. Let’s look at it on the keyboard and on the staff, with fingering for both hands, and hear what sets it apart from D-sharp natural minor.
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D-sharp Locrian mode overview
Visualize the D-sharp Locrian mode on the piano
On the keyboard, D-sharp Locrian uses D-sharp, E, F-sharp, G-sharp, A, B, and C-sharp, with D-sharp, F-sharp, G-sharp, and C-sharp on black keys, and D-sharp again at the top. These seven notes are the E major scale, started on its 7th note. The notes are shared, but the home note is D-sharp, and that changes how the scale sounds.
What gives D-sharp Locrian its sound
Compared with the D-sharp natural minor scale, two notes change: the 2nd is E instead of E-sharp, and the 5th is A instead of A-sharp. Without a perfect 5th above the tonic, the chord on the tonic is diminished, and the scale never quite settles. That’s why Locrian is mostly studied rather than used as the home of a piece, but hearing it is part of understanding how the other modes work.
The chord built on D-sharp from the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes is D-sharp diminished (D-sharp, F-sharp, and A). Playing it before and after the scale helps keep D-sharp in the ear as the center, rather than E.
Play D-sharp Locrian on the piano
The two charts show the fingering one hand at a time. Each hand covers the seven notes in two positions, a group of three fingers (red) and a group of four (blue); a note in green is an extra note at the end of the scale, outside the two positions.
The right hand starts on D-sharp with the 4th finger. Going up, the thumb passes under to E after the 4th finger on D-sharp and to A after the 3rd finger on G-sharp. The top D-sharp is played with the 4th finger. This is the fingering of the E major scale on the same notes: the thumb plays the same keys it plays in E major, so it never lands on a black key.
The left hand starts on D-sharp with the 2nd finger. Going up, the 4th finger folds over the thumb from E to F-sharp and the 3rd finger folds over the thumb from B to C-sharp. The top D-sharp is played with the 2nd finger. This is the fingering of the E major scale on the same notes: the thumb plays the same keys it plays in E major, so it never lands on a black key.
The notes of D-sharp Locrian on the staff
On the staff, the eight notes climb by step from D-sharp to D-sharp, the right hand in the treble clef and the left hand an octave lower in the bass clef. D-sharp Locrian is written with the key signature of E major: four sharps (F-sharp, C-sharp, G-sharp, and D-sharp). The key signature belongs to E major, but here the line begins and ends on D-sharp, and that’s what makes it D-sharp Locrian.
Play D-sharp Locrian up and down one octave
Next, D-sharp Locrian as we’ll practice it: up one octave and back down, one note per beat, ending on a half note. The fingering for the right hand is written above the notes and for the left hand below.
Practice D-sharp Locrian
The fingering is not the difficult part here, since it follows a scale we already know. What tends to go wrong is the ear: the notes of D-sharp Locrian are familiar from E major, and the scale easily slips back toward E. Let’s work on it in a few stages.
- Find the home note first: Before the scale, we play the D-sharp diminished chord and let it ring, then play the scale and end on the same chord. The aim is to keep D-sharp as the center the whole way through.
- Compare with D-sharp natural minor: We play the D-sharp natural minor scale and then D-sharp Locrian, slowly, listening for E and A where D-sharp natural minor has E-sharp and A-sharp. Those two changes are the whole difference in sound, and hearing it is more useful than any rule about the mode.
- Hands separately, then together: Each hand alone first, slowly and evenly, with special attention to the thumb passing under to E and A in the right hand. Then hands together, an octave apart, keeping the pulse even.
- Shape the line: Once it’s steady, we let the scale grow a little toward the top and relax on the way down. It turns the scale into a phrase and keeps the ear involved.
Avoid common mistakes in D-sharp Locrian
A few things tend to go wrong in D-sharp Locrian:
- Hearing E as home: Because the notes are those of E major, the ear tends to treat E as the center and D-sharp as a passing note. Starting and ending firmly on D-sharp, and playing the D-sharp diminished chord around the scale, keeps the mode’s own center clear.
- Falling back to D-sharp natural minor: Out of habit, the hand often plays E-sharp and A-sharp instead of E and A. Slowing down at that point and naming the note before playing it usually fixes it within a few repetitions.
- Uneven thumb notes: The thumb plays on its side and tends to land heavily, especially right after passing under. Letting the thumb travel early and arrive lightly keeps the line even.
Other techniques related to D-sharp Locrian:
- The E major scale (the same notes, starting on E)
- The D-sharp natural minor scale (the same starting note)
- The Locrian mode on every note
- The Complete Guide to Piano Modes