The Phrygian Mode

What does Phrygian sound like?

What attracts people to the Phrygian mode is the minor 2nd. An uncommon interval in Western diatonic music, it gives the scale a dark and otherworldly feel. 

The only other mode that uses a minor second is Locrian, but Phrygian is far more common due to its flexibility, as it can be played both in minor and major keys (see Phrygian dominant).

Descending down to the home key gives Phrygian a strong sense of finality that makes for a very powerful scale. The main riff of Metallica’s ‘Wherever I may Roam’, for example, uses the Phrygian mode, which adds to its intensity.

Learning the Phrygian Mode

The whole-step half-step pattern of phrygian is H-W-W-W-H-W-W. 

These are the blueprints of Phrygian, meaning if you play this whole-step half-step pattern starting on any note, then it will be Phrygian - every time!

As with the other modes, Phrygian can be best learned using the C major scale. This scale uses all of the white notes, which makes it much easier to visualize when analyzing it.

^{C major scale starting on C}

Phrygian can be played by taking the C major scale, but starting on E instead of C.

^{E Phrygian starting on E}

Mnemonic

Every Frickin’ Guitarist And Bassist Can Dominate with Phrygian (all white keys starting from E).

If you’re familiar with other scales, you may have noticed that Phrygian is just a natural minor, but with a minor 2nd (F in above example) instead of a major 2nd (F#). This means that the rest of the scale can be played as if it’s a minor scale. 

The minor 2nd stresses the move back to the home key, and makes the whole scale sound commanding. 

Alternative methods

Here are some more ways you can play Phrygian: 

• Pick a starting note
• Play the notes of the major scale a major third below the starting note

For example, if you wanted to play Phrygian in A, play the F major scale starting on A.

Familiar with the natural minor scale? You can also play this on your starting note, flatten the second, and it will be Phrygian. 

But what if you wanted to play this scale in major instead of minor? That’s where Phrygian dominant comes into play.

Phrygian dominant

Another Phrygian scale that is commonly used is Phrygian dominant. 

The whole-step/half-step pattern of Phrygian dominant is: H-W#-H-W-H-W-W.

Instead of a whole step on the second note, there is a sharpened whole step (a whole plus a half step - we”ll abbreviate it as W#). This sharpened whole step is what gives Phrygian dominant its unique quality.

Very similar to the Phrygian scale, the only difference is Phrygian dominant uses a major 3rd instead of a minor 3rd. 

This enhances the minor 2nd feel of the mode and gives it a more uplifting feel. It’s commonly used in modern metal music as it has such a striking sound that pairs well with the genre. The Phrygian dominant scale gets its name as it is a mode from the harmonic minor scale, instead of the conventional major scale modes.

^{C harmonic minor scale starting on C}

To play Phrygian dominant, you take the harmonic minor scale (in the above example this is C), but start on the 5th note of the scale (or the dominant).

^{G Phrygian dominant starting on G}

Related scales

When exploring the Phrygian mode and its unique characteristics, it is worth noting other scales that share similar features, such as the Ukrainian Dorian and Hungarian minor scales.

These scales feature augmented seconds and leading tones on the 4th and 7th scale degrees, which give them a similar feel to the Phrygian mode.

Love the sound of the Phrygian mode but want to explore other scales? Give these a try!

^{Tab. 1: Related scales of the Phrygian mode.}

Summary

Phrygian is a powerful scale, and not for the faint-hearted! It is often used to create an “Eastern” vibe in film scoring and media productions, while still sounding familiar to Western audiences (e.g. no use of microtonality). This makes Phrygian a versatile choice. 

You can find the notes of Phrygian using either of these methods:

• Play all the white notes starting from E (“Every Frickin’ Guitarist And Bassist Can Dominate with Phrygian”)
• Apply the whole-step/half-step pattern of H-W-W-W-H-W-W
• Play the natural minor scale and flatten the 2nd

Apply either of the following to come up with Phrygian dominant:

• Apply the whole-step/half-step pattern of H-W#-H-W-H-W-W
• Play the phrygian scale but sharpen the 3rd 

Phrygian can be played in either minor (Phrygian) or major (Phrygian dominant) and is totally worth trying out. Don't be afraid to experiment with this scale!

Learn the other Modes