D♯ phrygian
D♯ natural minor with one note lowered: E. Seven notes: D♯ E F♯ G♯ A♯ B C♯. The same notes as B major, centred on D♯.
- Parent key
- B major Same notes
- Colour note
- E The flat 2nd
- Repeating chords
- D♯m – E i – ♭II
Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode. | ||||
| iVampD♯mD♯ · F♯ · A♯ | ||||
| ♭IIVampEE · G♯ · B | ||||
| ♭IIIF♯F♯ · A♯ · C♯ | ||||
| ivG♯mG♯ · B · D♯ | ||||
| v°A♯°A♯ · C♯ · E | ||||
| ♭VIBB · D♯ · F♯ | ||||
| ♭viiC♯mC♯ · E · G♯ |
What makes it phrygian
Natural minor, with the 2nd lowered
One note separates D♯ phrygian from D♯ natural minor: E♯ becomes E. Over the same root, that turns D♯m – E♯° into D♯m – E.
- D♯
- E♯
- F♯
- G♯
- A♯
- B
- C♯
- D♯
- E
- F♯
- G♯
- A♯
- B
- C♯
Hear the difference
One chord that says phrygian
The ♭II chord, E, is built on the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.
The brightness ladder
Seven modes on D♯
From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Phrygian is row 6 of seven.
↑ Brighter
- E♭ lydianE♭FGAB♭CDsame sound as D♯ lydian♯4
- E♭ ionian (major)E♭FGA♭B♭CDsame sound as D♯ ionian (major)—
- E♭ mixolydianE♭FGA♭B♭CD♭same sound as D♯ mixolydian♭7
- D♯ dorianD♯E♯F♯G♯A♯B♯C♯♭3 ♭7
- D♯ aeolian (natural minor)D♯E♯F♯G♯A♯BC♯♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- D♯ phrygianD♯EF♯G♯A♯BC♯♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- D♯ locrianD♯EF♯G♯ABC♯♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Darker ↓
Jam along
Three drills over the vamp
Play over the repeating D♯m – E chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with E ringed.
- The vamp, with a clickD♯m – E, two bars each, in frets 3–7. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
- Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while D♯m – E sounds. Stay in frets 3–7.80 bpmLevel 1
- Land on the colour noteOver E, aim for E. It is the note that makes it phrygian.80 bpmLevel 2
Phrygian on every root
Pick a root
Other modes of B major's notes