E♭ Phrygian mode on guitar
The E♭ Phrygian mode has seven notes: E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D♭ (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 | E♭ | F♭ | G♭ | A♭ | B♭ | C♭ | D♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 E♭ Phrygian mode
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; E♭ (E♭m) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (E♭) | E♭mhome | E♭m7home |
| ♭2 (F♭) | F♭colour | F♭maj7colour |
| ♭3 (G♭) | G♭daylight | G♭7daylight |
| 4 (A♭) | A♭msoft fall | A♭m7soft fall |
| 5 (B♭) | B♭dimthe edge | B♭m7♭5the edge |
| ♭6 (C♭) | C♭cinematic | C♭maj7cinematic |
| ♭7 (D♭) | D♭msoft fall | D♭m7soft fall |
Scales with the same notes
It has the same notes as the B major scale, started from its third note, E♭.
Questions
What notes are in the E♭ Phrygian mode?
E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D♭. 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 E♭ Phrygian mode?
The chords made only of its notes: E♭m, F♭, G♭, A♭m, B♭dim, C♭ and D♭m, and as seventh chords E♭m7, F♭maj7, G♭7, A♭m7, B♭m7♭5, C♭maj7 and D♭m7. E♭ is home: E♭m is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The Phrygian mode in every key
Other scales in E♭
E♭ majorE♭ minorE♭ minor pentatonicE♭ major pentatonicE♭ bluesE♭ DorianE♭ MixolydianE♭ LydianE♭ harmonic minorE♭ melodic minorE♭ 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.