A Phrygian Mode on guitar
The Phrygian mode is a minor scale with a distinctive flattened 2nd degree, creating a dark, Spanish or Middle Eastern atmosphere. Highly favored in flamenco, thrash metal, and progressive rock.
The notes of A Phrygian Mode
Built on A, the scale degrees spell out like this. The degree is the number you would call that note relative to A:
RiffRoute writes every accidental as a sharp. A sharp and the flat above it are the same fret, so A♯ is B♭ and so on.
Where it lands on the fretboard
Every fret from the open string up to the 12th that belongs to the A Phrygian Mode, string by string. Root notes are highlighted.
- Low E: 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12
- A: 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12
- D: 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12
- G: 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12
- B: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11
- High E: 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12
Your anchor points: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Start every pattern from one of those and you always know where home is.
Emphasize the half-step transition between the root and the flat 2nd to immediately bring out that signature Spanish flavor.
Chords that fit
These chords from RiffRoute's library use only notes inside the A Phrygian Mode, so they will not clash with it:
- C Major
- F Major
- A Minor
- D Minor
- C Dominant 7th
- A Power Chord
- D Power Chord
- G Power Chord
- D Suspended 2nd
- D Suspended 4th
Same notes, different home
These scales contain exactly the same notes as the A Phrygian Mode. The fretboard pattern is identical — what changes is which note you treat as home:
Other A scales
Same starting note, different colour. Switching between these over one A chord is the quickest way to hear what each scale does:
- A Major Scale
- A Natural Minor Scale
- A Major Pentatonic Scale
- A Minor Pentatonic Scale
- A Blues Scale
- A Harmonic Minor Scale
The Phrygian scale in other keys
Practise it in the app
A list of frets only gets you so far. RiffRoute shows the A Phrygian Mode lit up on a full fretboard, plays it back and lets you practise it against a backing track.