ArpeggiosEN

Scale

G phrygian

Major scale modes

Formula
1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Notes
G A♭ B♭ C D E♭ F

Notation

441♭2♭345♭6♭71

Fretboard — frets 0–24

G phrygian — frets 0 to 24, 86 notes, roots in orange♭71♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭345♭645♭6♭71♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭31♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭345♭6♭715♭6♭71♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭345♭345♭6♭71♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭71♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭345♭60123456789101112131415161718192021222324
G phrygian — frets 0 to 24, 86 notes, roots in orange♭71♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭345♭645♭6♭71♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭31♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭345♭6♭715♭6♭71♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭345♭345♭6♭71♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭71♭2♭345♭6♭71♭2♭345♭60123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Degrees

DegreeNoteIntervalSemitonesRole
1Gperfect unison0The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves.
♭2A♭minor second1The minor second — a half-step above the root and the sharpest tension in the box; phrygian and the altered scale lean on it.
♭3B♭minor third3The minor third — the dark counterpart of the major third; it turns a shape minor and colours m, m7 and the minor scales.
4Cperfect fourth5The perfect fourth — stable yet suspended; in sus4 it takes the third's place and leaves the chord hanging.
5Dperfect fifth7The perfect fifth — the root's strongest companion; it anchors every triad and stacked-seventh quality.
♭6E♭minor sixth8The minor sixth — the dark sixth of aeolian, harmonic minor and mixolydian ♭6; it adds a classical, mournful weight.
♭7Fminor seventh10The minor seventh — the dominant's engine; a whole step under the root, it turns a triad into a 7 chord and drives the resolution.

About this scale

Phrygian is the third degree of the major scale, a minor scale whose second degree is flattened. That flat second is one half-step above the root and creates the most immediate tension in the scale, which is why phrygian sounds Spanish, flamenco and Middle Eastern rather than merely sad. The rest of the scale is close to natural minor, so the character lives almost entirely in that one note. Metal, film music and flamenco guitar all lean on it, and it is the scale of the m7 chord when the bass insists on the flat second. Listen for the flat second rubbing against the root.

How to practise this scale

  • Play the flat second against the root and hold the tension.
  • Improvise a flamenco-style phrase that keeps returning to the flat second.
  • Compare it with aeolian and hear what the lowered second adds.
  • Play the scale over a minor chord and let the flat second bite.