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 to
our ears,both on acoustic and electric guitars.

Some years ago, i was reading a lesson by Nick Bowcott about

thrash metal,and he explains that musicians as Alex Skolnick,Marty
Friedman 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 Phrygian

Dominant Scale and he told me a simple formula:
You just need to alterate(raise half tone) the third degree of the
Prhygian mode and you obtain the Phrygian Dominant.

So, starting from the Phrygian mode,which is the third mode of the
major 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 with

the relative Harmonic Minor Scale.

Both of these scales just differ in one note,so, it´s modes just differ
in 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, G
1, b2, 3 4, 5 , b6, b7
this mode has a dominant seventh sound or a Major sound if we
look the first chord that is A major.
So, surprisingly,the phrygian mode,a minor mode in
essence,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 degree
Major triad on the second degree
Diminished triad on the third degree
Minor triad on the fourth degree
Diminished triad on the fifth degree
Augmented triad on the sixth degree
And 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,eleventh

and 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 lot
of music from the baroque era to date...yes,
The great clavicembalist DOMENICO SCARLATTI used this mode in a
lot of his sonatas,is supossed that he learnt this mode while he was
living in Spain.
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and GEORGE BELLAS among countless
guitarists uses this mode too!!!
 GEORGE BELLAS

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN

the flamenco guitarists developed this mode by ear... and is a part

of 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 augmented
second.
So in resume, we learnt that the Spanish Gypsy Scale is the same
as the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale(phrygian dominant)
It´s formula is:1,b2,3,4,5,b6,b7
And it has a beautyful Spanish sound.
It probably was developed first by ear in Spain and then was used
by 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 the
theme.