Package leaflet · Information for the musician · Scale
D 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
- 2 ♭
- mode
1Composition: what it contains
D – E♭ – F – G – A – B♭ – C
- Formula
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
- Steps
- H – W – W – W – H – W – W
- Number of notes
- 7
- Sharps and flats
- 2 ♭
- Also called
- third mode of the major scale, Spanish minor (loosely)
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | unison | 0 | tonic |
| ♭2 | E♭ | minor second | 1 | supertonic |
| ♭3 | F | minor third | 3 | mediant |
| 4 | G | perfect fourth | 5 | subdominant |
| 5 | A | perfect fifth | 7 | dominant |
| ♭6 | B♭ | minor sixth | 8 | submediant |
| ♭7 | C | 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 | Dm | D – F – A | |
| ♭II | E♭ | E♭ – G – B♭ | |
| ♭III | F | F – A – C | |
| iv | Gm | G – B♭ – D | |
| v° | Adim | A – C – E♭ | |
| ♭VI | B♭ | B♭ – D – F | |
| ♭vii | Cm | C – E♭ – G |
Chords of the scale (seventh chords)
| Degree | Chord | Notes | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Dm7 | D – F – A – C | |
| ♭IImaj7 | E♭maj7 | E♭ – G – B♭ – D | |
| ♭III7 | F7 | F – A – C – E♭ | |
| iv7 | Gm7 | G – B♭ – D – F | |
| vø7 | Am7♭5 | A – C – E♭ – G | |
| ♭VImaj7 | B♭maj7 | B♭ – D – F – A | |
| ♭vii7 | Cm7 | C – E♭ – G – B♭ |
Same notes, different starting point
7Other presentations available
The same scale from every note
- C Phrygian Mode
- C sharp 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
- D Major Scale
- D Natural Minor Scale
- D Harmonic Minor Scale
- D Melodic Minor Scale
- D Dorian Mode
- D Lydian Mode
- D Mixolydian Mode
- D Locrian Mode
- D Major Pentatonic Scale
- D Minor Pentatonic Scale
- D Blues Scale
- D Major Blues Scale
- D Whole Tone Scale
- D Half-Whole Diminished Scale
- D Whole-Half Diminished Scale
- D Phrygian Dominant Scale
- D Hungarian Minor Scale
- D Lydian Dominant Scale
- D Altered Scale
- D Double Harmonic Major Scale
- D 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.