E Sharp Locrian Mode on the Guitar – 5 CAGED Positions, Tabs and Theory

‘E sharp locrian’ is the 7th mode of the F# Major scale. The notes in E# locrian are:

E# – F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D#

If you have read the post on understanding the locrian mode, you will know that the locrian mode contains a ‘flat 2’, a ‘flat 3’ a ‘flat 5’ a ‘flat 6’ and a ‘flat 7’ (parallel approach). You will also know that it is the 7th mode of the major scale (derivative approach). The locrian mode is a very ‘dark’ sounding mode and is probably the hardest of the 7 modes to get acquainted with. Let’s briefly look at how to construct E# locrian using both the parallel approach and the derivative approach.

E# Locrian Mode Using The Parallel Approach

E# Major scale has the following notes:

E# – Fx – Gx – A# – B# – Cx – Dx

If we ‘lower’ the 2nd note (Fx), 3rd note (Gx), 5th note (B#), 6th note (Cx) and 7th note (Dx), we get the following:

E# – F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D#

E# Locrian Mode Using The Derivative Approach

E# is the 7th note of the F# Major scale:

F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D# – E#

If we play the F# Major scale and start on the 7th note we get the following:

E# – F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D#

Let’s look at the E# locrian mode in the different positions on the guitar fretboard:

E# Locrian in the Open Position

Firstly, let’s look at the open position:

E Sharp Locrian Mode Open Position Frets
E Sharp Locrian Mode Open Position Notes

E# Locrian Mode CAGED Positions

Now let’s look at E# locrian in the 5 different CAGED positions along the fretboard.

E# Locrian in the 1st Position (Lowest Fret is 1)

E Sharp Locrian Mode 1st Position Frets
E Sharp Locrian Mode 1st Position Notes

E# Locrian in the 2nd Position (Lowest Fret is 2)

E Sharp Locrian Mode 2nd Position Frets
E Sharp Locrian Mode 2nd Position Notes

E# Locrian in the 6th Position (Lowest Fret is 6)

E Sharp Locrian Mode 6th Position Frets
E Sharp Locrian Mode 6th Position Notes

E# Locrian in the 7th Position (Lowest Fret is 7)

E Sharp Locrian Mode 7th Position Frets
E Sharp Locrian Mode 7th Position Notes

E# Locrian in the 10th Position (Lowest Fret is 10)

E Sharp Locrian Mode 10th Position Frets
E Sharp Locrian Mode 10th Position Notes

That covers the 5 basic positions and the open position of E# locrian along the guitar fretboard. For an in depth explanation of the locrian mode, check out locrian mode explained.

Further Reading

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