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F♯ phrygian
F♯ natural minor with one note lowered: G. Seven notes: F♯ G A B C♯ D E. The same notes as D major, centred on F♯.
- Parent key
- D major Same notes
- Colour note
- G The flat 2nd
- Repeating chords
- F♯m – G i – ♭II
Across one chord in different positions. Down one place, every chord of the mode. | ||||
| iVampF♯mF♯ · A · C♯ | ||||
| ♭IIVampGG · B · D | ||||
| ♭IIIAA · C♯ · E | ||||
| ivBmB · D · F♯ | ||||
| v°C♯°C♯ · E · G | ||||
| ♭VIDD · F♯ · A | ||||
| ♭viiEmE · G · B |
Light up
What makes it phrygian
Natural minor, with the 2nd lowered
One note separates F♯ phrygian from F♯ natural minor: G♯ becomes G. Over the same root, that turns F♯m – G♯° into F♯m – G.
F♯ natural minor
- F♯
- G♯
- A
- B
- C♯
- D
- E
F♯ phrygian
- F♯
- G
- A
- B
- C♯
- D
- E
Hear the difference
One chord that says phrygian
The ♭II chord, G, is built on the colour note. Play it to hear those notes together.
The brightness ladder
Seven modes on F♯
From brightest to darkest, each row lowers one note of the row above. Phrygian is row 6 of seven.
↑ Brighter
- F♯ lydianF♯G♯A♯B♯C♯D♯E♯♯4
- F♯ ionian (major)F♯G♯A♯BC♯D♯E♯—
- F♯ mixolydianF♯G♯A♯BC♯D♯E♭7
- F♯ dorianF♯G♯ABC♯D♯E♭3 ♭7
- F♯ aeolian (natural minor)F♯G♯ABC♯DE♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- F♯ phrygianF♯GABC♯DE♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7
- F♯ locrianF♯GABCDE♭2 ♭3 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7
Darker ↓
Jam along
Three drills over the vamp
Play over the repeating F♯m – G chords with a metronome. The neck highlights the notes to aim for, with G ringed.
- The vamp, with a clickF♯m – G, two bars each, in frets 2–6. Strum on the beat.80 bpmLevel 1
- Scale over the vampUp the scale and back down, one note a beat, while F♯m – G sounds. Stay in frets 2–6.80 bpmLevel 1
- Land on the colour noteOver G, aim for G. It is the note that makes it phrygian.80 bpmLevel 2