B Phrygian scale on bass
B Phrygian has 7 notes: B C D E F♯ G A. Degrees: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Formula: H W W W H W W.
What notes are in the B Phrygian scale?
B, C, D, E, F♯, G and A. It has 7 notes; its formula in whole and half steps is H W W W H W W.
What does B Phrygian sound like, and when do you use it?
Dark and tense: the ♭2 right next to the root sounds Spanish and metal. Use it over m7 · the iii of a major key; sus chords with ♭9.
Chords in B Phrygian
| Degree | Triad | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Bm7 |
| ♭II | C | Cmaj7 |
| ♭III | D | D7 |
| iv | Em | Em7 |
| v° | F♯° | F♯m7♭5 |
| ♭VI | G | Gmaj7 |
| ♭vii | Am | Am7 |
Chord progressions to improvise with B Phrygian
In Jam mode (the Jam button above) a band of grand piano, upright bass and drums (recorded instruments) plays these progressions as swing, bossa, groove or ballad, and the fretboard lights up the notes of each chord as it plays. It's a backing track made for this scale in B:
- Phrygian vamp (i7–♭IImaj7): Bm7 | Cmaj7. The ♭2 (C) in the bass of the second chord: that half step is the whole Phrygian flavor.
- Phrygian riff (i–♭II–♭III): Bm | C | D | C. i–♭II–♭III–♭II: the riff of metal and electric flamenco.
- Modal (i7): a Bm7 vamp. One chord, no rush: lean on the C and resolve to the root.
B Phrygian positions on bass
In standard tuning (E A D G), with 3 notes per string, B Phrygian is played in 7 positions along the neck:
- Position 1: frets 7 to 11 (starts on the root)
- Position 2: frets 8 to 12
- Position 3: frets 10 to 14
- Position 4: frets 0 to 4
- Position 5: frets 2 to 5
- Position 6: frets 3 to 7
- Position 7: frets 5 to 9
Same notes as
G major · E natural minor · G Ionian · A Dorian · C Lydian · D Mixolydian · E Aeolian · F♯ Locrian