The Phrygian Mode

The Phrygian mode conjures up images of the Mediterranean or Middle East and can be built, in its most basic form, using the white notes between E and E.

The semitone step between the first and second degrees of the scale is what gives the Phrygian mode its exotic character. No major or minor scale starts this way and so right away when we hear this scale we know we are dealing with something unusual!

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[pableholloway]

That piece using the Phrygian mode is absolutely lovely!! You have peaked my interest!! Can’t wait to get started!!!
💕🎈💕

[ksoltv]

Probably the most famous Phrygian song is the Unsolved Mysteries theme. Just as you say, it has a unique and mysterious character that pulls you right in.

[veronika]

Excellent lesson on Phrygian mode, I would like to remind the author that in my American Grammar School (1946) I was taught that the vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes "y'"; he said at the beginning the word didn't have vowel until the end.

[kurtmill]

That piece was beautiful. Reminds me of LA Noire.

[monikaify]

Beautiful explanation of Phyrgian mode. I have been getting together with another musician weekly and we've recently been exploring Dorian. Very much looking forward to hearing the mood of Phyrgian.

I will be checking out Scenes from Spain next for my morning jam.

[DoctorMustafaSaad]

Its a very popular (mostly the main) mode in middle eastern music.. its called : Maqam Kurd

[CampaignsIlraon]

What a lovely impro! Wonderful video, great content, very well explained, thanks a lot!

[trudigilmore]

Thanks - I'm trying to understand a comment about Bruckner's 4th ending in Phrygian mode and this helped

[spudgebeethoven]

Thanks for that. It was a very simplified study.

[bluemoon]

I like the improvised piece very much. Can you score it? The red highlight is actually really hard to follow - perhaps dots would be easier

[anthonyhoughton]

I've just come across your video after searching about flamenco guitar. Never heard of this mode before, but have certainly heard it in music. Would it be used in the Concerto de Orange Juice (Brassed Off)? It certainly sounds similar.

[reyfernandezjr]

Very nice, it gives me also the sense of impressionist music e.g. (Debussy)

[johnhorrobin]

''God rest you merry gentlemen'' sounds like it is in this mode.

[choppercullen]

The wee composition at the end was beautiful? 😀

[lydkoch]

I just learned that Phrygian scale is 1, b2, b3, 4, b5, b6, b7; very different than your example

[LucaSubitoni]

I just realized the intro of space oddity is in E Phrygian mode ahahah it's made of the same chords you played in the outro part of this video

[aknyaw]

its just a minor with 2nd note lowered half step

[GuruPrasanna]

Without the initial one or two chords for context, my brain resolves this to the A minor scale, which has the same notes. Weird.

[asemyousef]

Here is an example of phrygian mode
@SHU0
Actually it is a composition of mine !

[john-xmul]

There’s a lot of hip hop beats in Phrygian mode