THE PHRYGIAN MODE

THE PHRYGIAN DOMINANT MODE(Spanish Gypsy scale)

Text and transcriptions by:Moises Olvera

Hi guitarists,I hope you are fine!!!Well, recently i see this site called guitarstatic and i feel it´s very

nice,so i decided to submit some lessons for revision.

This is the first one and is about a scale that can sound very nice toour ears,both on acoustic and electric guitars.

Some years ago, i was reading a lesson by Nick Bowcott aboutthrash metal,and he explains that musicians as Alex Skolnick,MartyFriedman and bands as EXODUS or DEATH ANGEL were using some

scale called the phrygian dominant in is leads and compositions.

I asked to my guitar teacher how to construct the PhrygianDominant Scale and he told me a simple formula:

You just need to alterate(raise half tone) the third degree of thePrhygian mode and you obtain the Phrygian Dominant.

So, starting from the Phrygian mode,which is the third mode of themajor scale:

PRHYGIAN MODE=1,b2,b3,,4,5,b6,b7

If we raise half step the third degree we obtain this:PHRYGIAN DOMINANT MODE=1,b2,3,4,5,b6,b7

This is comprensible if we look and compare the Major Scale withthe relative Harmonic Minor Scale.

Both of these scales just differ in one note,so, it´s modes just differin one note too!!!.

So,concerning tonalities ,we will see this scale in the tonality of A.

A Phrygian Dominant= A, Bb, C# ,D ,E ,F, G1, b2, 3 4, 5 , b6, b7

this mode has a dominant seventh sound or a Major sound if welook the first chord that is A major.

So, surprisingly,the phrygian mode,a minor mode inessence,becomes a major dominant mode due to it´s raised third

and minor seventh.Ok, the chords that we can form with this scale are:

Major triad on the first degreeMajor triad on the second degree

Diminished triad on the third degreeMinor triad on the fourth degreeDiminished triad on the fifth degreeAugmented triad on the sixth degreeAnd minor triad on the seventh degree.

The seventh chords we can form with this scale are:I dominant seventh (7),II Major seventh(maj7) ,III diminished seventh(dim7) ,IV minor major seventh(min/maj7),V minor seventh flatted fifth(min7b5)VI Major seventh sharp fifth(maj 7#5)VII minor seventh(min7)

Of course we can form extension chords as: ninth chords,eleventhand thirteen chords but we will let this as a homework.o.k now you can think :whats the matter of learning this mode?Let me say you that this mode was used in the composition of a lotof music from the baroque era to date...yes,The great clavicembalist DOMENICO SCARLATTI used this mode in alot of his sonatas,is supossed that he learnt this mode while he wasliving in Spain.YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and GEORGE BELLAS among countlessguitarists uses this mode too!!!

GEORGE BELLAS

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN

the flamenco guitarists developed this mode by ear... and is a partof the various scales they use in his music.so this scale is called

SPANISH GYPSY.And sometimes is called “the mourish version of the phrygian

mode this due to the fact that it contains an interval of augmentedsecond.

So in resume, we learnt that the Spanish Gypsy Scale is the sameas the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale(phrygian dominant)

It´s formula is:1,b2,3,4,5,b6,b7And it has a beautyful Spanish sound.

It probably was developed first by ear in Spain and then was usedby countless musicians around the world.

Domenico Scarlatti is supossed to listen this scale in the 1600´s,while living in Spain.he became enchanted by his sound and used it

in some of his compositions.Here, we have a little improvisation made by me on the acoustic

guitar,I called this: “SCHERZO ANDALUZ”just to be in tune with thetheme.