B♭ Phrygian mode on guitar
The B♭ Phrygian mode has seven notes: B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭ (1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7). A minor scale with a flat 2nd, one fret above the root. Dark and tense: metal riffs lean on that half step on the low E string, and flamenco uses it too.
| Note | B♭ | C♭ | D♭ | E♭ | F | G♭ | A♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | ♭2 | ♭3 | 4 | 5 | ♭6 | ♭7 |
| Step to the next | half | whole | whole | whole | half | whole | whole |
5 positions to learn it in
On guitar a seven-note scale is learnt in five shapes, each built round one of the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Together they cover the neck. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the B♭ Phrygian mode
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; B♭ (B♭m) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (B♭) | B♭mhome | B♭m7home |
| ♭2 (C♭) | C♭colour | C♭maj7colour |
| ♭3 (D♭) | D♭daylight | D♭7daylight |
| 4 (E♭) | E♭msoft fall | E♭m7soft fall |
| 5 (F) | Fdimthe edge | Fm7♭5the edge |
| ♭6 (G♭) | G♭cinematic | G♭maj7cinematic |
| ♭7 (A♭) | A♭msoft fall | A♭m7soft fall |
Scales with the same notes
It has the same notes as the F♯ major scale, started from its third note, B♭.
Questions
What notes are in the B♭ Phrygian mode?
B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭. Its intervals from the root are 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, and the steps between its notes are H W W W H W W (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the B♭ Phrygian mode?
The chords made only of its notes: B♭m, C♭, D♭, E♭m, Fdim, G♭ and A♭m, and as seventh chords B♭m7, C♭maj7, D♭7, E♭m7, Fm7♭5, G♭maj7 and A♭m7. B♭ is home: B♭m is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The Phrygian mode in every key
Other scales in B♭
B♭ majorB♭ minorB♭ minor pentatonicB♭ major pentatonicB♭ bluesB♭ DorianB♭ MixolydianB♭ LydianB♭ harmonic minorB♭ melodic minorB♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.