STRINGSCALES

E phrygian Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

A string: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

D string: D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

G string: G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G at frets 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12

B string: B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12

High E string: E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

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E phrygian

The phrygian mode is minor with a flat 2nd, the third mode of the major scale. That half step above the root gives it a dark Spanish and Middle Eastern color: flamenco resolves onto it constantly, and metal riffs on the flat 2nd for menace. Try vamping between the root chord and the chord a half step up to hear its signature cadence.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

E

i

Em
F

bII

Fmaj
G

bIII

Gmaj
A

iv

Am
B

v°

Bdim
C

bVI

Cmaj
D

bvii

Dm

Characteristic note: F (b2), the dark half step above the root that defines the phrygian sound.

Same notes, different mode

E phrygian uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

F lydianG mixolydianA minor · relative minorB locrianC major · relative majorD dorian

phrygian in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • The flat 2nd (F) is the identity: open and close phrases with the bII (F) to root half step.
  • Vamp the root chord against the major chord a half step up (built on bII (F)); that two-chord move is instant flamenco in E.
  • For metal riffing in E phrygian, chug the open root and punctuate with the bII (F) and flat 6th (C) for maximum darkness.
  • If the backing has a major 3rd, shift to E phrygian dominant; keep everything else and only the 3rd changes.

How to play E phrygian on guitar

Every open string in standard tuning belongs to this key, which means the instrument can ring as one sustained voicing with no fretting hand. Both E strings are open roots. Open B gives the fifth and open A the fourth, so a drone under upper-register lines needs nothing held down. Every note in the key is a natural, with roots at fret 7 on the A string and another at fret 9 on the G.

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