Also written Kurd, Usak or Bhairavi
F phrygian is F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭. Box 1 places the root at string 6, fret 1.
F phrygian lowers the second degree of F natural minor from G to G♭. The interval pattern becomes H, W, W, W, H, W, W. This half-step between root and ♭2 gives the scale its characteristic dark color.
F phrygian fits F minor and F 5th chords. It works over progressions in F minor that emphasize the ♭2, such as Fm–G♭–A♭. The scale suits flamenco, metal, and dark ambient styles.
Practise Box 1 first. The root sits on string 6, fret 1, giving easy access to the low F and the ♭2 above it.
F phrygian in box 1 runs from fret 1 to fret 4, 17 notes across 6 strings, from F on the low E string at fret 1 up to A♭ on the high e string at fret 4. The root falls on the low E string at fret 1, the D string at fret 3 and the high e string at fret 1.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 2, 4 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 3, 4 | B♭, C, D♭ |
| 4 (D) | 1, 3, 4 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3 | A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 1, 2, 4 | C, D♭, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 1, 2, 4 | F, G♭, A♭ |
F phrygian in box 2 runs from fret 4 to fret 7, 13 notes across 6 strings, from A♭ on the low E string at fret 4 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the B string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6 | D♭, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 4, 6 | G♭, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 5, 6 | C, D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 6, 7 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6 | A♭, B♭ |
F phrygian in box 3 runs from fret 6 to fret 9, 16 notes across 6 strings, from B♭ on the low E string at fret 6 up to D♭ on the high e string at fret 9. The root falls on the A string at fret 8 and the B string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 8, 9 | B♭, C, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 6, 8, 9 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8 | A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 6, 8 | D♭, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 7, 9 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 8, 9 | B♭, C, D♭ |
F phrygian in box 4 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 17 notes across 6 strings, from C on the low E string at fret 8 up to E♭ on the high e string at fret 11. The root falls on the A string at fret 8 and the G string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 9, 11 | C, D♭, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 8, 9, 11 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 8, 10, 11 | B♭, C, D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 8, 10, 11 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11 | A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 9, 11 | C, D♭, E♭ |
F phrygian in box 5 runs from fret 11 to fret 14, 15 notes across 6 strings, from E♭ on the low E string at fret 11 up to G♭ on the high e string at fret 14. The root falls on the low E string at fret 13 and the high e string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 13, 14 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13 | A♭, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13 | D♭, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 11, 13 | G♭, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 13, 14 | B♭, C, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 13, 14 | E♭, F, G♭ |
F phrygian, position 1 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the root and runs from fret 1 to fret 6, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 1, the D string at fret 3 and the B string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 1, 2, 4 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 5 (A) | 1, 3, 4 | B♭, C, D♭ |
| 4 (D) | 1, 3, 4 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 3 (G) | 1, 3, 5 | A♭, B♭, C |
| 2 (B) | 2, 4, 6 | D♭, E♭, F |
| 1 (e) | 2, 4, 6 | G♭, A♭, B♭ |
F phrygian, position 2 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭2 and runs from fret 2 to fret 8, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the D string at fret 3 and the B string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 2, 4, 6 | G♭, A♭, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 3, 4, 6 | C, D♭, E♭ |
| 4 (D) | 3, 4, 6 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 3 (G) | 3, 5, 6 | B♭, C, D♭ |
| 2 (B) | 4, 6, 7 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 1 (e) | 4, 6, 8 | A♭, B♭, C |
F phrygian, position 3 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭3 and runs from fret 4 to fret 9, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 8 and the B string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 4, 6, 8 | A♭, B♭, C |
| 5 (A) | 4, 6, 8 | D♭, E♭, F |
| 4 (D) | 4, 6, 8 | G♭, A♭, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 5, 6, 8 | C, D♭, E♭ |
| 2 (B) | 6, 7, 9 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 1 (e) | 6, 8, 9 | B♭, C, D♭ |
F phrygian, position 4 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 4 and runs from fret 6 to fret 11, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 8 and the G string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 6, 8, 9 | B♭, C, D♭ |
| 5 (A) | 6, 8, 9 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 4 (D) | 6, 8, 10 | A♭, B♭, C |
| 3 (G) | 6, 8, 10 | D♭, E♭, F |
| 2 (B) | 7, 9, 11 | G♭, A♭, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 9, 11 | C, D♭, E♭ |
F phrygian, position 5 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the 5 and runs from fret 8 to fret 13, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the A string at fret 8, the G string at fret 10 and the high e string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 9, 11 | C, D♭, E♭ |
| 5 (A) | 8, 9, 11 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 4 (D) | 8, 10, 11 | B♭, C, D♭ |
| 3 (G) | 8, 10, 11 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 2 (B) | 9, 11, 13 | A♭, B♭, C |
| 1 (e) | 9, 11, 13 | D♭, E♭, F |
F phrygian, position 6 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭6 and runs from fret 9 to fret 14, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 13, the G string at fret 10 and the high e string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 9, 11, 13 | D♭, E♭, F |
| 5 (A) | 9, 11, 13 | G♭, A♭, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 10, 11, 13 | C, D♭, E♭ |
| 3 (G) | 10, 11, 13 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 2 (B) | 11, 13, 14 | B♭, C, D♭ |
| 1 (e) | 11, 13, 14 | E♭, F, G♭ |
F phrygian, position 7 of the three-notes-per-string shapes, starts on the ♭7 and runs from fret 11 to fret 16, three notes on each of 6 strings. The root falls on the low E string at fret 13, the D string at fret 15 and the high e string at fret 13.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 11, 13, 14 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 5 (A) | 11, 13, 15 | A♭, B♭, C |
| 4 (D) | 11, 13, 15 | D♭, E♭, F |
| 3 (G) | 11, 13, 15 | G♭, A♭, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 13, 14, 16 | C, D♭, E♭ |
| 1 (e) | 13, 14, 16 | F, G♭, A♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
F phrygian contains F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C, D♭, and E♭. The scale has a half step between F and G♭. This ♭2 creates the characteristic phrygian sound.
F phrygian fits F minor and F 5th chords. It also works over progressions using F♯ major and A♭ major. The scale's ♭2 and ♭6 give it a dark, tense quality.
F phrygian lowers the second degree of F natural minor from G to G♭. This creates a half step between the root and the second. The rest of the scale remains the same.