F Phrygian

Dark, tense, Spanish/flamenco — built from D♭ major

PARENT FAMILY · D♭ MAJ

All 7 modes share the same parent scale (D♭ major). F Phrygian is the III mode.

#	Mode	Diatonic chords	Mood
I	D♭ Ionian	D♭maj7 – E♭m7 – Fm7 – G♭maj7 – A♭7 – B♭m7 – Cm7♭5	Happy, bright, resolved
II	E♭ Dorian	E♭m7 – Fm7 – G♭maj7 – A♭7 – B♭m7 – Cm7♭5 – D♭maj7	Soulful, minor but with hope
III	F Phrygian	Fm7 – G♭maj7 – A♭7 – B♭m7 – Cm7♭5 – D♭maj7 – E♭m7	Dark, tense, Spanish/flamenco
IV	G♭ Lydian	G♭maj7 – A♭7 – B♭m7 – Cm7♭5 – D♭maj7 – E♭m7 – Fm7	Dreamy, floating, ethereal
V	A♭ Mixolydian	A♭7 – B♭m7 – Cm7♭5 – D♭maj7 – E♭m7 – Fm7 – G♭maj7	Bluesy, dominant, rock
VI	B♭ Aeolian	B♭m7 – Cm7♭5 – D♭maj7 – E♭m7 – Fm7 – G♭maj7 – A♭7	Melancholic, natural minor
VII	C Locrian	Cm7♭5 – C♯maj7 – D♯m7 – Fm7 – F♯maj7 – G♯7 – A♯m7	Unstable, tense, dissonant

SCALE · 7 NOTES · 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7

F G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭

Formula: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7

The Phrygian scale on F contains the notes F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭. The pentatonic subset is F, A♭, B♭, C, E♭.

Characteristic note: the ♭2 (flat second) creates its dark, Spanish-sounding tension.

DIATONIC 7ths · CHORD PAD

I

Fm7

II

G♭maj7

III

A♭7

IV

B♭m7

V

Cm7♭5

VI

D♭maj7

VII

E♭m7

▸ Play F Phrygian over Fm7 and A♭7 progressions.

FRETBOARD · STANDARD TUNING · 15F● LIVE

CHARACTER · DARK, TENSE, SPANISH/FLAMENCO

DARK, TENSE, SPANISH/FLAMENCO

F Phrygian is a minor mode with a dark, tense, spanish/flamenco character. It is the III mode of D♭ major — it uses the same 7 notes as D♭ Ionian but is rooted on F, which shifts the harmonic focus and creates a completely different sound. The tonic chord is Fm7.

Where to use F Phrygian

Metal, flamenco, film scores.

Famous examples

White Zombie riffs
flamenco progressions

What makes it distinctive: the ♭2 (flat second) creates its dark, Spanish-sounding tension.

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