Formula
- Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7.
- Steps: H W W W H W W (1 2 2 2 1 2 2 semitones).
- Parent scale: 3rd mode of the major scale. E Phrygian = notes of C major from E: E F G A B C D.
- On C: C Db Eb F G Ab Bb. On A: A Bb C D E F G. On F#: F# G A B C# D E.
Trick: Phrygian is natural minor with a lowered 2nd.
Characteristic note and color
The minor 2nd (F in E Phrygian, Bb in A Phrygian) is the signature: the semitone above the tonic creates a dark, tense, Spanish-sounding or Middle Eastern minor. It is the mode of flamenco, metal, drill and the darkest trap, of “menacing” soundtracks.
Diatonic chords (C Phrygian)
| Degree | Triad | Seventh |
|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Cm7 |
| bII | Db | Dbmaj7 |
| bIII | Eb | Eb7 |
| iv | Fm | Fm7 |
| v° | G° | Gø7 |
| bVI | Ab | Abmaj7 |
| bvii | Bbm | Bbm7 |
The signature chord is the major bII (Db in C Phrygian, F in E Phrygian): the progression i – bII – i (Em – F – Em) is the most immediate Phrygian. i – bvii – bVI – bII and i – bII – bIII also work. The v is diminished: Phrygian has no true dominant, and its “cadence” is the descending semitone bII → i.
Phrygian and “Spanish” Phrygian
In Spanish music and flamenco the third of the tonic is often raised (E – F – G# in E): you get Phrygian dominant (see the dedicated card). The Andalusian cadence i – bVII – bVI – V (Am – G – F – E) descends along the Phrygian tetrachord and stops on E major: it is Phrygian “from E's point of view”.
Beware of the classical terminology: the “Phrygian cadence” of harmony textbooks is something else, namely iv6 – V in minor (Dm/F – E in A minor), with the bass descending by semitone (F – E).
Use in genres
- Metal: riffs on the E string with F as the tension note. Example: “Wherever I May Roam” (Metallica), E Phrygian; lots of thrash and death metal.
- Flamenco and Spanish music: alternation between Phrygian and Phrygian dominant; flamenco guitar “por medio” (A) and “por arriba” (E).
- Drill and dark trap: melodies and 808s oscillating between 1 and b2; many UK drill beats alternate Phrygian and harmonic minor.
- Psychedelic rock: “White Rabbit” (Jefferson Airplane), the bolero between F# and G (a semitone above the tonic) with a Phrygian-Spanish flavor.
- Film: for danger, the unknown, the exotic (string ostinatos on i – bII).
Melodies and basses
- Phrygian phrases fall to 1 from the b2 (b2 → 1), or rotate 1 – b2 – b3 – b2 – 1.
- In basses and 808s the slide from b2 to 1 is a widely used tension effect.
- The b6 is the second dark color: descending 5 – b6 – 5 reinforces the character.
Example songs
- “Wherever I May Roam” (Metallica, 1991).
- “White Rabbit” (Jefferson Airplane, 1967).
- “Hit the Road Jack” (Ray Charles): Andalusian cadence Am – G – F – E.
- Renaissance sacred music in the 3rd and 4th church modes (e.g. Palestrina's motets), where the final cadence arrives on E from F.
Common mistakes
- Inserting a major V (G in C Phrygian): it shifts toward harmonic minor or Phrygian dominant.
- Using Phrygian over any m7 chord: the b2 creates a minor 9th against the root, which is intended on a tonic chord, but sounds wrong on a ii or a vi of a tonal progression.
- Overdoing the b2 on every note: it loses power; use it as an accent.
Exercise
- Create an 808 ostinato on E: E – F – E – E – D – E with a pad Em – F – Em on top.
- Take an Aeolian loop (Am – G – F) and replace G with Bb: listen to the Phrygian color of i – bII.
- Write a metal riff in E Phrygian alternating E5 and F5 power chords and single notes on the low string, using only E F G A B C D (be careful not to insert Bb or F#, which do not belong to the mode).
Connections
Modes of the major scale; Phrygian dominant; Dorian b2; Tetrachords; Locrian mode; Maqam: introduction.