B♭ Phrygian mode (A♯ Phrygian)
B♭ Phrygian mode is B♭ – C♭ – D♭ – E♭ – F – G♭ – A♭, with B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, G♭ and A♭. Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
The notes, one step at a time
From B♭ upward the gaps are H W W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between B♭–C♭ and F–G♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from B♭ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | root | |
| ♭2 | C♭ | minor second | |
| ♭3 | D♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | E♭ | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | F | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | G♭ | minor sixth | |
| ♭7 | A♭ | minor seventh |
How the Phrygian mode sounds
Phrygian is a minor mode with a lowered 2nd. The half step from B♭ up to C♭ gives it the dark, Spanish or metal flavor it's known for.
Hold B♭ in the bass and alternate B♭m with C♭: that half-step shift is the whole flavor.
Compared with B♭ natural minor scale, B♭ Phrygian mode has C♭ where the other has C; the other six notes are shared. Hear B♭ natural minor scale and compare.
B♭ Phrygian mode uses the same seven notes as F♯ major, starting from B♭ instead of F♯. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Phrygian is playing it over a B♭ bass or chord.
On piano and on guitar
B♭, D♭, E♭, G♭ and A♭ are on black keys; the rest are white. C♭ is a white key with a sharp or flat name, because each letter can appear only once in the scale.
17 notes fit in the box between frets 4 and 10, with B♭ at the 6th 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 B♭ Phrygian mode; the ones that differ from the F♯ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know B♭ Phrygian mode, you already know the notes of C♯ Mixolydian (starting on the 3rd note, C♯), E♭ natural minor (starting on the 4th note, E♭), F Locrian (starting on the 5th note, F), F♯ major (starting on the 6th note, F♯), G♯ Dorian (starting on the 7th note, G♯) and B Lydian (starting on the 2nd note, B).
Finding B♭ Phrygian on the neck
The root, B♭, sits at fret 6 on the low E string and 1 and 13 on the A string. Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 1, 3, 6, 8 and 11) 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, B♭ Phrygian mode uses 5 black keys (B♭, D♭, E♭, G♭ and A♭) and 2 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's B♭–D♭, C♭–E♭, D♭–F, E♭–G♭, F–A♭, G♭–B♭, A♭–C♭.
Drills for B♭ Phrygian
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Groups of three: B♭ C♭ D♭ · C♭ D♭ E♭ · D♭ E♭ F · E♭ F G♭ · F G♭ A♭ · G♭ A♭ B♭.
- Land on C♭: B♭ C♭ B♭ C♭ B♭: the ♭2, a half step above the root, is the Spanish flavour.
Close relatives of B♭ Phrygian mode
Phrygian mode in every key
B♭ Phrygian mode: questions
What are the notes of the B♭ Phrygian mode?
7 notes: B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭.
How many sharps or flats are in the B♭ Phrygian mode?
Six: B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, G♭ and A♭.
What chords are in the B♭ Phrygian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives B♭m (i), C♭ (II), D♭ (III), E♭m (iv), Fdim (v°), G♭ (VI) and A♭m (vii).
What's the difference between B♭ Phrygian mode and B♭ natural minor scale?
C♭ in B♭ Phrygian; C in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as B♭ Phrygian mode?
F♯ major. B♭ Phrygian is F♯ major played from its 3rd note, B♭.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.