Playing the C Phrygian Mode
C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab and Bb are the notes of the C Phrygian scale. Start Ab major on its third note and you get the same seven pitches, with a Db that sits only a half step above the root.
No open string helps here, so learn it from the root: the 8th fret of the low E string, or the 3rd fret of the A string. That half-step pull from C to Db is the sound to listen for in riffs. Try two notes per string patterns for a compact way to play it.
Play the C phrygian scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the C phrygian scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Db | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| Eb | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| F | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| G | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| Ab | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| Bb | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
C phrygian scale notes:
How the phrygian scale is built:
The phrygian scale is built from the degrees 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7, which gives the step pattern H-W-W-W-H-W-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is mode 3 of the Major Scale, so both scales share the same notes from a different starting point.
C Phrygian Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (B)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the C phrygian scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Scales with the same notes as C Phrygian
These scales use exactly the same notes. Each one starts somewhere else, so the root and the mood change.
| Scale | Starts on degree | Learn the scale |
|---|---|---|
| C# Lydian | b2 | Lydian Scale |
| Eb Mixolydian | b3 | Mixolydian |
| F Minor | 4 | Minor Scale |
| G Locrian | 5 | Locrian Scale |
| Ab Major | b6 | Major Scale |
| Bb Dorian | b7 | Dorian Scale |
Other scales on C
Same root, different notes. Play them back to back to hear what changes.
- C Indian: drops the b3 and b7
- C Minor: 2 instead of b2
- C Locrian: b5 instead of 5
- C Phrygian Dominant: 3 instead of b3
- C Dorian b2: 6 instead of b6
The phrygian scale in other keys
Keep learning
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
