Package leaflet · Information for the musician · Scale
C Phrygian Mode
Dark, heavy and Spanish-sounding. The flat second sitting a half step above the root creates an immediate sense of menace or flamenco drama.
- 7 notes
- 4 ♭
- mode
1Composition: what it contains
C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭
- Formula
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
- Steps
- H – W – W – W – H – W – W
- Number of notes
- 7
- Sharps and flats
- 4 ♭
- Also called
- third mode of the major scale, Spanish minor (loosely)
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison | 0 | tonic |
| ♭2 | D♭ | minor second | 1 | supertonic |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor third | 3 | mediant |
| 4 | F | perfect fourth | 5 | subdominant |
| 5 | G | perfect fifth | 7 | dominant |
| ♭6 | A♭ | minor sixth | 8 | submediant |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor seventh | 10 | subtonic |
2Appearance: diagrams and sound
Tip: click any note, key or fret to hear it. Orange = root.
3Indications: what it is used for
Common in metal riffs, flamenco, film scores for tension, and some electronic music. It fits a minor chord moving to the major chord a half step above (i–♭II), progressions like i–♭II–♭III–♭II, and minor chords voiced as m7 without a ninth. It is the third mode of the major scale, so it is also a diatonic choice over the iii chord in a major key. Metal guitarists use it over palm-muted riffs on the open lowest string, alternating the root and the flat second.
4Dosage: how to practise it
Eight minutes daily. Drone the root (or loop a power chord on it) at 90–120 BPM and play the scale in eighth notes, landing repeatedly on degrees 1 and ♭2 to imprint the colour. Practise riffs that alternate the root with ♭2 and ♭3 in gallop rhythms. Add sequences of three and four notes ascending and descending. On guitar, learn one position and one three-notes-per-string pattern; on bass, play it as a single-string line to internalise the half-step motion at the start.
5Warnings and common mistakes
The flat second over the root chord is the defining but also the most dissonant note: use it as colour or approach, not as a resting point. Do not confuse it with phrygian dominant, which has a major third and sounds brighter and more Middle Eastern. Over a minor ninth chord the flat second clashes with the natural ninth, so avoid it there. On a minor triad at the end of a phrase, resolve to the root or fifth, not the sixth.
6Interactions with chords, scales and keys
Chords of the scale (triads)
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | C – E♭ – G | |
| ♭II | D♭ | D♭ – F – A♭ | |
| ♭III | E♭ | E♭ – G – B♭ | |
| iv | Fm | F – A♭ – C | |
| v° | Gdim | G – B♭ – D♭ | |
| ♭VI | A♭ | A♭ – C – E♭ | |
| ♭vii | B♭m | B♭ – D♭ – F |
Chords of the scale (seventh chords)
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Cm7 | C – E♭ – G – B♭ | |
| ♭IImaj7 | D♭maj7 | D♭ – F – A♭ – C | |
| ♭III7 | E♭7 | E♭ – G – B♭ – D♭ | |
| iv7 | Fm7 | F – A♭ – C – E♭ | |
| vø7 | Gm7♭5 | G – B♭ – D♭ – F | |
| ♭VImaj7 | A♭maj7 | A♭ – C – E♭ – G | |
| ♭vii7 | B♭m7 | B♭ – D♭ – F – A♭ |
Same notes, different starting point
7Other presentations available
The same scale from every note
- C sharp Phrygian Mode
- D Phrygian Mode
- D sharp Phrygian Mode
- E Phrygian Mode
- F Phrygian Mode
- F sharp Phrygian Mode
- G Phrygian Mode
- G sharp Phrygian Mode
- A Phrygian Mode
- B flat Phrygian Mode
- B Phrygian Mode
Other scales from the same note
- C Major Scale
- C Natural Minor Scale
- C Harmonic Minor Scale
- C Melodic Minor Scale
- C Dorian Mode
- C Lydian Mode
- C Mixolydian Mode
- C Locrian Mode
- C Major Pentatonic Scale
- C Minor Pentatonic Scale
- C Blues Scale
- C Major Blues Scale
- C Whole Tone Scale
- C Half-Whole Diminished Scale
- C Whole-Half Diminished Scale
- C Phrygian Dominant Scale
- C Hungarian Minor Scale
- C Lydian Dominant Scale
- C Altered Scale
- C Double Harmonic Major Scale
- C Bebop Dominant Scale
Read this leaflet carefully before playing. Keep it near your instrument. Free to use, print and share for personal and educational use.