Modal RunsA Phrygian on Guitar
Phrygian is a minor scale with the note directly above home pushed down a semitone — instant darkness. The notes of A Phrygian are A, Bb, C, D, E, F, G. Its characteristic note is Bb — the flat 2nd — the one note that gives this minor-type scale its colour.
That flat 2nd is the sound of flamenco, of Andalusian cadences, and of half the metal riffs ever written. It sits a single fret above the root, so the tension is always one finger away.
A Phrygian across the whole neck
Over the drone, hammer between the root and the flat 2nd — that semitone grind IS Phrygian; the rest of the scale is just context for it.
Formula and intervals
R - b2 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - b7 — 7 notes. The flat 3rd makes it a minor-family scale.
Chords in A Phrygian
These are the diatonic chords — the harmony built from only the notes above. Vamping between any of them keeps you inside the mode.
| Degree | Chord | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Minor |
| II | Bb | Major |
| III | C | Major |
| iv | Dm | Minor |
| v° | Edim | Diminished |
| VI | F | Major |
| vii | Gm | Minor |
Same notes, different home
A Phrygian contains exactly the same notes as F Major. Nothing about the notes changes — what changes is which one feels like home, and that changes everything about the sound.
Other modes on A
Keep the same root and swap the scale — the fastest way to hear what each mode actually does.