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G Phrygian Mode – Guitar

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

Notes in the G phrygian mode

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

G phrygian mode on the whole neck

EADGBe123456789101112131415FAbBbCDEbFBbCDEbFAbBbCDEbFAbBbCDEbFAbBbCDEbFAbBbCDEbFAbBbCDFAbBbCDEbF
G Phrygian Mode on the whole neck, frets 0-15. Gold = the root (G).
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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 2–7

EADGBe234567AbBbCDEbFAbBbCDDEbFAbBb
G Phrygian Mode, box 1
e|-------------------------------3-4-6-|
B|-------------------------3-4-6-------|
G|-------------------3-5-7-------------|
D|-------------3-5-6-------------------|
A|-------3-5-6-------------------------|
E|-3-4-6-------------------------------|

Box 2 · frets 4–9

EADGBe456789AbBbCDEbFAbBbCDEbEbFAbAbBbC
G Phrygian Mode, box 2
e|---------------------------------4-6-8-|
B|-------------------------4-6-8-9-------|
G|-------------------5-7-8---------------|
D|-------------5-6-8---------------------|
A|-------5-6-8---------------------------|
E|-4-6-8---------------------------------|

Box 3 · frets 6–12

EADGBe6789101112BbCDEbEbFAbAbBbCDDEbFFAbBbBbCDEb
G Phrygian Mode, box 3
e|-------------------------------------------------------------6--8--10-11-|
B|-------------------------------------------------6--8--9--11-------------|
G|-------------------------------------7--8--10-12-------------------------|
D|-------------------------6--8--10-12-------------------------------------|
A|-------------6--8--10-11-------------------------------------------------|
E|-6--8--10-11-------------------------------------------------------------|

Box 4 · frets 9–14

EADGBe91011121314DEbFAbBbCDEbFAbAbBbCDEbF
G Phrygian Mode, box 4
e|----------------------------------------------10-11-13-|
B|-------------------------------------9--11-13----------|
G|----------------------------10-12-13-------------------|
D|-------------------10-12-13----------------------------|
A|----------10-11-13-------------------------------------|
E|-10-11-13----------------------------------------------|

Box 5 · frets 11–16

EADGBe111213141516EbFAbAbBbCDEbFAbBbBbCDEbEbFAb
G Phrygian Mode, box 5
e|----------------------------------------------------11-13-15-16-|
B|----------------------------------------11-13-15-16-------------|
G|-------------------------------12-13-15-------------------------|
D|----------------------12-13-15----------------------------------|
A|-------------11-13-15-------------------------------------------|
E|-11-13-15-16----------------------------------------------------|

3 G minor licks to play with it

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

Octave answer

Picking · Soulful

Root, a step down from the top, then the root an octave up.

e|-----3-|
B|---6---|
G|-------|
D|-5-----|
A|-------|
E|-------|

Trill tease

Hammer-on · Pull-off · Funky

Hammer and pull between two notes, then drop to the root.

e|-------------------|
B|-------------------|
G|-3h-5p-3h-5p-3-----|
D|----------------5--|
A|-------------------|
E|-------------------|

Bend and cry

Bend · Vibrato · Blues

Two bends, a fall down the box, and a long root.

e|-6b-3--------------|
B|-------6b-3--------|
G|-------------5-----|
D|----------------5~-|
A|-------------------|
E|-------------------|

G minor backing track

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

Smooth Slow Blues in G minor | Guitar Backing Track – AUsher Jam Tracks

Songs in G minor

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

All songs in G minor →

Other scales in G

Phrygian Mode in other keys

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

Learn to solo

FAQ

What notes are in the G phrygian mode?

G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb, F. The formula is 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7.

Where do I start playing the G phrygian mode on guitar?

Start with Box 1, frets 2–7. The root note G is on the low E string at fret 3.