G# Locrian
The G# Locrian mode (also written Ab) — G# A B C# D E F# — shown across the guitar neck.
Also written Ab Locrian. Ab and G# are the same pitch, though spelling it from Ab would need double accidentals (Ab Bbb Cb Db Ebb Fb Gb), which is why G# is the name in use.
Tap any note on the neck.
Swipe the neck sideways to see the higher frets.
G# Locrian is the natural minor with the b2 and b5 — A and D. Those are the notes that give it its character.
What is G# Locrian?
G# Locrian is the seven notes G# A B C# D E F# — the notes of A major started from its 7th degree, G#. Same seven notes as the parent, but with G# as home, so the intervals and the sound are different.
G# Locrian vs G# natural minor
5 of the seven notes are the same. The difference is 2 notes, and that is the whole character of the mode:
- b2 is A in Locrian, where G# natural minor has 2, A#.
- b5 is D in Locrian, where G# natural minor has 5, D#.
Play G# natural minor and G# Locrian back to back over a G#m chord and listen for A and D — those are the notes to lean on.
Chords in G# Locrian
Stack the mode in thirds and each degree becomes a chord. The home chord is G#dim; the rest are the chords of A major, since the notes are the same — what changes is which one the music rests on. There is no settled two-chord vamp for Locrian: its home chord is diminished, which is why the mode is heard as a passing colour over other harmony more often than as a key of its own.
G# Locrian on the guitar neck
Because G# Locrian is A major from its 7th note, its natural fingering is position 7 of the seven three-notes-per-string shapes of A major — the shape whose lowest note is G#. Learn that shape with G# as home — start and end on it, over a drone on G# — and you have the mode under your fingers. Play the same shape with A as home and you hear A major instead. The other six positions are the fingerings for the other six modes of the same key.
How to practice G# Locrian on guitar
- Loop position 7 of A major at 60 BPM, starting and ending on G# so your ear hears G# as home rather than A.
- Hold a G#dim chord (or record one) and play the shape over it. Land on A and D on the strong beats — that is the sound of Locrian.
- Hear it harmonized in 3rds on the Fretboard: press Play and every note sounds with its partner while the neck lights up.
The tool draws G# Locrian from its own root: the orange dots are on G# and the degrees count from it. The notes are its parent key's, A major; to hear Locrian, start and end on G#.
Find out what you should learn next. Five questions and Guitar Theory Studio builds you a four-week plan through the fretboard, chords, scales, arpeggios and ear training — week one free.
Build my free plan →