F PhrygianScale

Formula

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

F Phrygian on the chromatic circle

F 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 D♭I Ionian ♭7 E♭II Dorian 1 FIII Phrygian ♭2 G♭IV Lydian ♭3 A♭V Mixolydian 4 B♭VI Aeolian 5 CVII Locrian F Phrygian
The whole neck

F 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 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2
Harmony

Chords in F 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
iFm7F A♭ C E♭
♭IIG♭maj7G♭ B♭ D♭ F
♭IIIA♭7A♭ C E♭ G♭
ivB♭m7B♭ D♭ F A♭
v°Cm7♭5C E♭ G♭ B♭
♭VID♭maj7D♭ F A♭ C
♭viiE♭m7E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭
Context

Where F 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.

F 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

F Phrygian scale questions

What notes are in the F Phrygian scale?

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

What is the F 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 F Phrygian scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of F 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 E shape to the D shape to the C shape to the A shape to the G shape.

What chords are in the F Phrygian scale?

Fm7 (i), G♭maj7 (♭II), A♭7 (♭III), B♭m7 (iv), Cm7♭5 (v°), D♭maj7 (♭VI), E♭m7 (♭vii).

When is the F 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.