Mastering Modes: Phrygian (Guitar Lesson)

Chapter 1: (01:45) Introduction & About Phrygian Kris kicks off lesson 20 by improvising in the E Phrygian tonality. Next, he introduces us to this more "exotic" minor mode.

Phrygian is a minor mode, but it's not the minor scale. By taking the minor scale (W-H-W-W-H-W-W, or 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 using scale degrees) and lowering the second note, we get the Phrygian mode. In E, this means F# becomes F natural. This change gives Phrygian its sound or "flavor," which is noticeably darker than the minor scale.

Phrygian can also be viewed as the third mode of the major scale. If we refer back to to E major (or E Ionian: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, and D#), since that was our starting point in Lesson 18, Phrygian begins on the note G#. The G# Phrygian mode is spelled as G#, A, B, C#, D#, E, and F#.

Kris mentions he likes to call Phrygian the "Metallica mode;" they have used Phrygian often, such as the main riff to "Wherever I May Roam," the riff after the solo in "Creeping Death," during the intro to "Harvester of Sorrow," and the intro to "Dyer's Eve." Sometimes they will apply the E natural minor scale, but they will occasionally throw in an F5 chord just to darken the mood. Megadeth is another band known to use this mode from time to time, notably in the main riff to "Symphony of Destruction." Most metal bands have a Phrygian riff somewhere, whether they know if it was composed in the Phrygian tonality or not. Popular composer Danny Elfman also uses Phrygian in some of his film scores.

The 5th interval above the 5th scale degree is diminished, or flattened. For example, in E Phrygian, the fifth scale degree is B. The diatonic fifth interval above B in E Phrygian is an F natural. From B to F is only 3 steps. This interval is frequently altered to a perfect 5th, or 3 1/2 steps, by raising the higher note. In this case, making F an F#. All the notes of Phrygian are then usable as the root note for power chords, which in E would be: E5 (E-B), F5 (F-C), G5 (G-D), A5 (A-E), B5 (B-F#, this is the altered chord just mentioned), C5 (C-G), and D5 (D-A).

At 1:21, Kris demonstrates how Phrygian can create an exotic or ethnic sound. He focuses on the notes E, F, A, B, and C, before adding a D at the end. If you've watched Lesson 15: Exotic Embellishments in the Style of Marty Friedman, than you've heard this sound before. Kris is playing the Chinese scale used in that lesson. In Lesson 15, he started on B, which gave us B, C, E, F#, and G. The scale degrees for this scale are 1-b2-4-5-b6, all of which are in Phrygian! This note grouping is also available in the Scale Library under the "Exotic" category, only it's labeled "Japanese Pentatonic." Just set the key to E and it will show you where you can play this unique sound all over the fretboard. The notes in the E Chinese/Japanese scale (E, F, A, B, and C) can also be considered an Fma7(#11) arpeggio. Chapter 2: (05:58) Phrygian Target Tones Kris begins by describing the most significant harmonic difference between the minor scale and Phrygian. In E minor, the ii chord is F#o (F#-A-C), which can be expanded to a half-diminished 7th chord, F#mi7(b5), spelled F#-A-C-E. For more on this chord, please see Lesson 19: Mastering Modes: Dorian, Chapter 3 description. In E Phrygian, however, the II chord is F, spelled F-A-C. Our primary triads for this mode are Em (the i chord), F (the II chord), and Dm (the vii chord). Similar to the Dorian tonality, the chord built on the fifth note B (which in this mode would create Bo or could be expanded to Bmi7(b5)) is not used. In the case of Phrygian, the chord built on the fifth is a diminished triad, which is inherently unstable. It doesn't resolve satisfactorily to the i chord, Em. However, the II chord (F major), being only a half step above the tonic (Em), has a strong urge to resolve downward to i. In this regard, it acts like a V chord.

The chords Kris plays from 0:55 to 1:17 can be found in Supplemental Content, under "E Phrygian Notation." However, these chords are listed in a different order.

Kris' suggested target tones are E, F, C, and D. These are almost all the notes essential to Phrygian; the only other is G. Remember from Lesson 18 that target tones sound most consonant when used at the right time. For example, targeting C over an F chord (F-A-C) would work very well since C is the 5th of that chord. Targeting C over an Emi chord (E-G-B) will create a strong dissonance, since it is a half step above the 5th of the chord. The level of tension created is directly proportional to how long this note is held over an Em chord.

This tension can be resolved with an effective resolution, in this case, moving down a half step to B. Resolving elsewhere, such as D, would sound weak since D is also not in the chord. Resolving to E or G would sound better than D, but listen for yourself to the difference between C moving down to B as compared to C moving up or down to E or G over an Em chord. Have someone else play an Em chord on guitar or a keyboard instrument, or record an Emi chord yourself, or just try to play the notes quickly as Kris plays the chord in this scene. Notes that are a half step apart have a strong urge to resolve. This same situation happens when targeting F over an Em chord. The F note has a natural tendency to go "home" to the E.

Beginning at 2:02, Kris discusses the importance of the harmonies underneath a solo. E Phrygian is the third mode of C major (C, D, E, F, G, A, and B). If you were to play E Phrygian over a C major chord progression such as I to V (C to G), the overall sound created will still be C major, due to the prevailing harmony of the proression. By switching our harmonic focus to the Em chord, though, the mood of E Phrygian can easily be established.

At 3:07, Kris demonstrates the progression used in the backing track. This chord progression is listed at the bottom of the "E Phrygian Notation" page in the Supplemental Content.

Kris then switches between E minor (E, F#, G, A, B, C, and D) and E Phrygian (F instead of F#) at 3:55. He only uses E minor over the Em chord; over the Dm and F chords he uses E Phrygian. Notice how smoothly Kris makes the change between tonalities. This makes the changes between the two sounds easier to hear. Soloing like this takes time, since you must be completely comfortable with the modes you wish to use and all of their possible fingereings, so that you can make the change from one tonality to another without getting lost in your playing.

Finally, at 5:01, Kris improvises solely in E Phrygian to really demonstrate the sound of this mode. Notice all of the different rhythms he uses in his solo as well as the different articulations (hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, muting, staccato). Also, notice the spaces! He is not playing ALL the time, there are several examples of different lengths of resting. Yes, actual resting! Keep these factors in mind when improvising yourself, whether in practice or performance.

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