B PhrygianScale

Formula

H W W W H W W 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
The family

B Phrygian on the chromatic circle

B Phrygian is the 3rd mode of the Major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W W H W W W H ♭6 GI Ionian ♭7 AII Dorian 1 BIII Phrygian ♭2 CIV Lydian ♭3 DV Mixolydian 4 EVI Aeolian 5 F♯VII Locrian B Phrygian
The whole neck

B Phrygian across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6
Harmony

Chords in B Phrygian

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
iBm7B D F♯ A
♭IICmaj7C E G B
♭IIID7D F♯ A C
ivEm7E G B D
v°F♯m7♭5F♯ A C E
♭VIGmaj7G B D F♯
♭viiAm7A C E G
Context

Where B Phrygian fits

Dark minor with a ♭2: metal riffs, Spanish-flavoured music and modal jazz. Over a minor chord when the ♭2 is meant to be heard.

B Phrygian is mode 3 of the major family. The same notes played from each of its other degrees give the family's other modes:

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Phrygian scale in every key

B Phrygian scale questions

What notes are in the B Phrygian scale?

B C D E F♯ G A. As degrees from the root: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.

What is the B Phrygian scale formula?

1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, or in steps between the notes, H W W W H W W (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the B Phrygian scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of B Phrygian up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape.

What chords are in the B Phrygian scale?

Bm7 (i), Cmaj7 (♭II), D7 (♭III), Em7 (iv), F♯m7♭5 (v°), Gmaj7 (♭VI), Am7 (♭vii).

When is the B Phrygian scale used?

Dark minor with a ♭2: metal riffs, Spanish-flavoured music and modal jazz. Over a minor chord when the ♭2 is meant to be heard.