The Phrygian mode

The phrygian mode is dark and exotic sounding. The phrygian is the third mode and therefor starts on the third note of a major scale. If you use a C major scale as a basis for the mode you would start the scale on a E note. It can be tricky for some but the best way to get the sound of it in to your head is to play it over a E note or the E minor chord and get a feel for it's structure.

Before you go on make sure you know the major scale form that I presented before, here it is again:



E Phrygian mode


E Phrygian chords

With the table below you can figure out what major scale to play for each mode and what chords the mode works over. In the case of E phrygia, you see that you have to play the C major scale form staring on the third note of E (E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E). You can also see what modes to play over particular chords. In the case of minor 7 chord, you can play phrygian, dorian and aeolian modes over it.

Key ionian dorian phrygian lydian mixolydian aeolian locrian C C D E F G A B G G A B C D E F# D D E F# G A B C# A A B C# D E F# G# E E F# G# A B C# D# B B C# D# E F# G# A# F# F# G# A# B C# D# E# C# C# D# E# F# G# A# B# Cb Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb Gb Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Db Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Ab Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Eb Eb F G Ab Bb C D Bb Bb C D Eb F G A F F G A Bb C D E   maj7 min7 min7 maj7 7 min7 min7b5

Files:

Guitar pro 5: E_Phrygian.gp5

Midi: E_Phrygian.mid