STRINGSCALES

G♯ locrian Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

A string: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12

D string: D, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12

G string: G#, A, B, C#, D, E, F# at frets 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11

B string: B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A, B at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

High E string: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

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G# locrian

The locrian mode flattens the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th, leaving a diminished chord on the root: the only mode of the major scale with no stable home. That instability is the point. Use it over half-diminished (m7b5) chords in minor ii-V progressions, or in metal where its tritone-against-root tension is a feature rather than a problem.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

G♯

i°

G♯dim
A

bII

Amaj
B

biii

Bm
C♯

iv

C♯m
D

bV

Dmaj
E

bVI

Emaj
F♯

bvii

F♯m

Characteristic notes: D (b5) and A (b2), the flat five and flat two that give locrian its unstable, diminished character.

Same notes, different mode

G# locrian uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

A major · relative majorB dorianC# phrygianD lydianE mixolydianF# minor · relative minor

locrian in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Use G# locrian over m7b5 chords: arpeggiate root, bIII (B), bV (D), bVII (F#) first so the ear accepts the flat 5th as a chord tone.
  • The flat 2nd (A) against the root and the flat 5th (D) against open strings are the darkest intervals here; metal riffs live on exactly those.
  • Resolve somewhere: G# locrian phrases work best leading into the chord a half step below G# or into the relative major a half step above the root.
  • Compare with locrian #2 (B) over the same m7b5 chord; if the b2 (A) clashes with the bass, that natural 2nd is the fix.

How to play G♯ locrian on guitar

Five of the six open strings sit in this key, with only the G string left out, so open-voiced chords stay usable across most of the neck. Fret 1 on that same string holds a root. Lowest root is fret 4 on the low E, and the E-shape barre matches it, which lets you drop a chord under the position without shifting. Capo at fret 1 to read the whole thing as G locrian.

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