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C♯ phrygian

C♯ natural minor with one note lowered: D. Seven notes: C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A B. The same notes as A major, centred on C♯.

Parent key
A major Same notes
Colour note
D The flat 2nd
Repeating chords
C♯m – D i – ♭II
80 bpm
Labels

Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode.

iVampC♯mC♯ · E · G♯
♭IIVampDD · F♯ · A
♭IIIEE · G♯ · B
ivF♯mF♯ · A · C♯
v°G♯°G♯ · B · D
♭VIAA · C♯ · E
♭viiBmB · D · F♯
Light up

What makes it phrygian

Natural minor, with the 2nd lowered

One note separates C♯ phrygian from C♯ natural minor: D♯ becomes D. Over the same root, that turns C♯m – D♯° into C♯m – D.

C♯ natural minor
  1. C♯
  2. D♯
  3. E
  4. F♯
  5. G♯
  6. A
  7. B
C♯ phrygian
  1. C♯
  2. D
  3. E
  4. F♯
  5. G♯
  6. A
  7. B

Hear the difference

xxo
D

One chord that says phrygian

The ♭II chord, D, is built on the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.

The brightness ladder

Seven modes on C♯

From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Phrygian is row 6 of seven.

↑ Brighter

  1. D♭ lydianD♭E♭FGA♭B♭Csame sound as C♯ lydian♯4
  2. C♯ ionian (major)C♯D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♯—
  3. C♯ mixolydianC♯D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♭7
  4. C♯ dorianC♯D♯EF♯G♯A♯B♭3 ♭7
  5. C♯ aeolian (natural minor)C♯D♯EF♯G♯AB♭3 ♭6 ♭7
  6. C♯ phrygianC♯DEF♯G♯AB♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
  7. C♯ locrianC♯DEF♯GAB♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

Darker ↓

Jam along

Three drills over the vamp

Play over the repeating C♯m – D chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with D ringed.

  1. The vamp, with a clickC♯m – D, two bars each, in frets 2–6. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
  2. Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while C♯m – D sounds. Stay in frets 2–6.80 bpmLevel 1
  3. Land on the colour noteOver D, aim for D. It is the note that makes it phrygian.80 bpmLevel 2

Phrygian on every root

Pick a root

Other modes of A major's notes