F♯ Phrygian mode (G♭ Phrygian)
F♯ Phrygian mode is F♯ – G – A – B – C♯ – D – E, with F♯ and C♯. Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Press play and follow the keys.
Notes and steps
From F♯ upward the gaps are H W W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between F♯–G and C♯–D.
| Degree | Note | Interval from F♯ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F♯ | root | |
| ♭2 | G | minor second | |
| ♭3 | A | minor third | |
| 4 | B | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | C♯ | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | D | minor sixth | |
| ♭7 | E | minor seventh |
What F♯ Phrygian sounds like
F♯ Phrygian starts with a half step (F♯ to G). That opening half step is the whole character of the mode; the rest matches F♯ natural minor.
The Phrygian move is G to F♯m, a major chord a half step above home sliding down to it.
Compared with F♯ natural minor scale, F♯ Phrygian mode has G where the other has G♯; the other six notes are shared. Hear F♯ natural minor scale and compare.
F♯ Phrygian mode uses the same seven notes as D major, starting from F♯ instead of D. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Phrygian is playing it over a F♯ bass or chord.
Playing F♯ Phrygian
On the piano it uses two black keys (F♯ and C♯) and five white.
On guitar the root sits at the 2nd fret of the low E string. The box above covers frets 0–6 and holds 17 notes of the scale across all six strings; play it low string to high.
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 F♯ Phrygian mode; the ones that differ from the D major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
Same notes, different home: C♯ Locrian (starting on the 5th note, C♯), D major (starting on the 6th note, D), E Dorian (starting on the 7th note, E), G Lydian (starting on the 2nd note, G), A Mixolydian (starting on the 3rd note, A) and B natural minor (starting on the 4th note, B). Play any of them over a drone on its first note and the mood changes, even though the keys you press don't.
Finding F♯ Phrygian on the neck
Find F♯ first: fret 2 and 14 of the 6th string, fret 9 of the 5th. Most guitarists learn it in five overlapping positions; on the low E string they begin around frets 2, 4, 7, 9 and 11. Start from the root and go straight to the ♭2 and back; that half step carries the whole mode.
On the piano, F♯ Phrygian mode uses 2 black keys (F♯ and C♯) and 5 white.
Thirds make the scale sound musical instead of step-by-step: F♯–A, G–B, A–C♯, B–D, C♯–E, D–F♯, E–G.
Three ways to practise F♯ Phrygian
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Up in threes: F♯ G A · G A B · A B C♯ · B C♯ D · C♯ D E · D E F♯.
- Lean on G: F♯ G F♯ G F♯: the ♭2, a half step above the root, is the Spanish flavour.
Close relatives of F♯ Phrygian mode
Phrygian mode in every key
F♯ Phrygian mode: questions
What are the notes of the F♯ Phrygian mode?
F♯, G, A, B, C♯, D and E, then F♯ again at the octave. Formula: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the F♯ Phrygian mode?
Two: F♯ and C♯.
What chords are in the F♯ Phrygian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives F♯m (i), G (II), A (III), Bm (iv), C♯dim (v°), D (VI) and Em (vii).
What's the difference between F♯ Phrygian mode and F♯ natural minor scale?
G in F♯ Phrygian; G♯ in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as F♯ Phrygian mode?
D major. F♯ Phrygian is D major played from its 3rd note, F♯.
Generated from the step pattern 1-2-2-2-1-2-2 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.