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F♯ Phrygian Mode – Guitar

A minor scale with a flat 2nd: the dark, Spanish and metal sound. Here it is in F♯: the notes, the whole neck, all five boxes with TAB, and a backing track to practise over.

Notes in the F♯ phrygian mode

Formula: 1 – b2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – b6 – b7. Use it to solo over songs in F♯ minor, and over F♯ blues and rock progressions.

F♯ phrygian mode on the whole neck

EADGBe123456789101112131415EGABC#DEGABC#DEGABDEGABC#DEGABC#DEGABC#DEGABC#DEGABC#DEG
F# Phrygian Mode on the whole neck, frets 0-15. Gold = the root (F#).
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The 5 boxes (positions) with TAB

Each box is one hand position. Learn Box 1 first: play it up with the TAB, then back down, then move to the next box – together they cover the whole neck.

Box 1 · frets 1–6

EADGBe123456EGAABC#DDEGGABC#BC#DEEGA
F# Phrygian Mode, box 1
e|-------------------------------2-3-5-|
B|-------------------------2-3-5-------|
G|-------------------2-4-6-------------|
D|-------------2-4-5-------------------|
A|-------2-4-5-------------------------|
E|-2-3-5-------------------------------|

Box 2 · frets 3–8

EADGBe345678GABC#DEGABC#DDEGGAB
F# Phrygian Mode, box 2
e|---------------------------------3-5-7-|
B|-------------------------3-5-7-8-------|
G|-------------------4-6-7---------------|
D|-------------4-5-7---------------------|
A|-------4-5-7---------------------------|
E|-3-5-7---------------------------------|

Box 3 · frets 5–11

EADGBe567891011ABC#DDEGGABC#C#DEEGAABC#D
F# Phrygian Mode, box 3
e|-------------------------------------------------------------5--7--9--10-|
B|-------------------------------------------------5--7--8--10-------------|
G|-------------------------------------6--7--9--11-------------------------|
D|-------------------------5--7--9--11-------------------------------------|
A|-------------5--7--9--10-------------------------------------------------|
E|-5--7--9--10-------------------------------------------------------------|

Box 4 · frets 8–13

EADGBe8910111213C#DEGABC#DEGGABC#DE
F# Phrygian Mode, box 4
e|----------------------------------------------9--10-12-|
B|-------------------------------------8--10-12----------|
G|----------------------------9--11-12-------------------|
D|-------------------9--11-12----------------------------|
A|----------9--10-12-------------------------------------|
E|-9--10-12----------------------------------------------|

Box 5 · frets 10–15

EADGBe101112131415DEGGABC#DEGAABC#DDEG
F# Phrygian Mode, box 5
e|----------------------------------------------------10-12-14-15-|
B|----------------------------------------10-12-14-15-------------|
G|-------------------------------11-12-14-------------------------|
D|----------------------11-12-14----------------------------------|
A|-------------10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
E|-10-12-14-15----------------------------------------------------|

3 F♯ minor licks to play with it

Box 1 licks from the JamEase lick library, written for F♯ minor (h = hammer-on, p = pull-off, / = slide, b = bend, ~ = vibrato).

Minor third call

Picking · Blues

The minor third and the 4th, rocking back to the root.

e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-14-16-14----|
D|----------16-|
A|-------------|
E|-------------|

Slide down the B string

Slide · Blues

Slide down from the b7, then walk home.

e|---------------------|
B|-17\-14--------------|
G|---------16--14------|
D|-----------------16--|
A|---------------------|
E|---------------------|

Bend the b7 to the root

Bend · Vibrato · Rock

Bend the B string until it sounds like the root, then play the real one.

e|-----14~-|
B|-17b-----|
G|---------|
D|---------|
A|---------|
E|---------|

F♯ minor backing track

Play the boxes over this, starting and ending phrases on the gold root notes.

Slow blues backing track in F# minor | 78 bpm – Beardly Jam Tracks

Songs in F♯ minor

These songs are in F♯ minor, so this is a scale that fits for soloing over them:

All songs in F♯ minor →

Other scales in F♯

Phrygian Mode in other keys

Put it to use: solo with it, step by step, starting with three notes.

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FAQ

What notes are in the F# phrygian mode?

F#, G, A, B, C#, D, E. The formula is 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7.

Where do I start playing the F# phrygian mode on guitar?

Start with Box 1, frets 1–6. The root note F# is on the low E string at fret 2.