G Phrygian mode
G Phrygian mode is G – A♭ – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F, with A♭, B♭ and E♭. Formula 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Hit play and watch it light up on both instruments.
G Phrygian mode, note by note
The step pattern is H W W W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between G–A♭ and D–E♭.
| Degree | Note | Interval from G | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | root | |
| ♭2 | A♭ | minor second | |
| ♭3 | B♭ | minor third | |
| 4 | C | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | D | perfect fifth | |
| ♭6 | E♭ | minor sixth | |
| ♭7 | F | minor seventh |
What G Phrygian sounds like
G Phrygian starts with a half step (G to A♭). That opening half step is the whole character of the mode; the rest matches G natural minor.
The Phrygian move is A♭ to Gm, a major chord a half step above home sliding down to it.
Compared with G natural minor scale, G Phrygian mode has A♭ where the other has A; the other six notes are shared. Hear G natural minor scale and compare.
G Phrygian mode uses the same seven notes as E♭ major, starting from G instead of E♭. Same notes, different home note: what makes it Phrygian is playing it over a G bass or chord.
Where your hands go
A♭, B♭ and E♭ are on black keys; the rest are white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 3rd fret of the low E string and spans frets 1–7: 17 notes, 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 G Phrygian mode; the ones that differ from the E♭ major set are what give the mode its color. Tap to hear each one.
If you know G Phrygian mode, you already know the notes of C natural minor (starting on the 4th note, C), D Locrian (starting on the 5th note, D), E♭ major (starting on the 6th note, E♭), F Dorian (starting on the 7th note, F), A♭ Lydian (starting on the 2nd note, A♭) and B♭ Mixolydian (starting on the 3rd note, B♭).
Finding G Phrygian on the neck
Find G first: fret 3 and 15 of the 6th string, fret 10 of the 5th. Work up the neck in five positions (low E string frets 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12) 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, G Phrygian mode uses 3 black keys (A♭, B♭ and E♭) and 4 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: G–B♭, A♭–C, B♭–D, C–E♭, D–F, E♭–G, F–A♭, then back down.
Practice patterns for G Phrygian mode
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Groups of three: G A♭ B♭ · A♭ B♭ C · B♭ C D · C D E♭ · D E♭ F · E♭ F G.
- Lean on A♭: G A♭ G A♭ G: the ♭2, a half step above the root, is the Spanish flavour.
Try next, from G
Phrygian mode in every key
G Phrygian mode: questions
What are the notes of the G Phrygian mode?
G, A♭, B♭, C, D, E♭ and F, then G again at the octave. Formula: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the G Phrygian mode?
Three: A♭, B♭ and E♭.
What chords are in the G Phrygian mode?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Gm (i), A♭ (II), B♭ (III), Cm (iv), Ddim (v°), E♭ (VI) and Fm (vii).
What's the difference between G Phrygian mode and G natural minor scale?
A♭ in G Phrygian; A in the other. Everything else is the same.
Which major scale has the same notes as G Phrygian mode?
E♭ major. G Phrygian is E♭ major played from its 3rd note, G.
Generated from the step pattern 1-2-2-2-1-2-2 and checked by the site's tests. Updated September 2026.