C Phrygian mode
C Phrygian mode is C – D♭ – E♭ – F – G – A♭ – B♭, with D♭, E♭, A♭ and B♭. Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Press play and follow the keys.
C Phrygian mode, note by note
From C upward the gaps are H W W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between C–D♭ and G–A♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | root | |
| ♭2 | D♭ | minor second | |
| ♭3 | E♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | F | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | G | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | A♭ | minor sixth | |
| ♭7 | B♭ | minor seventh |
What C Phrygian sounds like
C Phrygian starts with a half step (C to D♭). That opening half step is the whole character of the mode; the rest matches C natural minor.
The Phrygian move is D♭ to Cm, a major chord a half step above home sliding down to it.
Compared with C natural minor scale, C Phrygian mode has D♭ where the other has D; the other six notes are shared. Hear C natural minor scale and compare.
C Phrygian mode uses the same seven notes as A♭ major, starting from C instead of A♭. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Phrygian is playing it over a C bass or chord.
Where your hands go
On the piano it uses four black keys (D♭, E♭, A♭ and B♭) and three white.
17 notes fit in the box between frets 6 and 12, with C at the 8th fret of the low E string.
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords that fit C Phrygian mode; the ones that differ from the A♭ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
C Phrygian mode shares all its notes with D♭ Lydian (starting on the 2nd note, D♭), E♭ Mixolydian (starting on the 3rd note, E♭), F natural minor (starting on the 4th note, F), G Locrian (starting on the 5th note, G), A♭ major (starting on the 6th note, A♭) and B♭ Dorian (starting on the 7th note, B♭). Which one you hear depends on which note the music treats as home.
Moving it around the guitar
Find C first: fret 8 of the 6th string, fret 3 and 15 of the 5th. Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10) and you'll have it everywhere. Start from the root and go straight to the ♭2 and back; that half step carries the whole mode.
On the piano, C Phrygian mode uses 4 black keys (D♭, E♭, A♭ and B♭) and 3 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's C–E♭, D♭–F, E♭–G, F–A♭, G–B♭, A♭–C, B♭–D♭.
Drills for C Phrygian
Once C Phrygian is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Up in threes: C D♭ E♭ · D♭ E♭ F · E♭ F G · F G A♭ · G A♭ B♭ · A♭ B♭ C.
- Land on D♭: C D♭ C D♭ C: the ♭2, a half step above the root, is the Spanish flavour.
Scales to compare with C Phrygian
Phrygian mode in every key
C Phrygian mode: questions
What are the notes of the C Phrygian mode?
C, D♭, E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C. As degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the C Phrygian mode?
Four: D♭, E♭, A♭ and B♭.
What chords are in the C Phrygian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Cm (i), D♭ (II), E♭ (III), Fm (iv), Gdim (v°), A♭ (VI) and B♭m (vii).
What's the difference between C Phrygian mode and C natural minor scale?
D♭ in C Phrygian; D in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as C Phrygian mode?
A♭ major. C Phrygian is A♭ major played from its 3rd note, C.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.