Home Row Scales Part 5: Minor to Phrygian

Unlike non-fretted instruments, the guitar has many repeating patterns which make scale playing in all keys fairly simple. Unlike the piano which has a different fingering for each major scale, the guitar can have just one. In music school, the professors did not make guitarists do scale jury tests which other instrumentalists sweated over.

If you have been following along with these lessons from the start (Major to Mixolydian) then, hopefully, the simplicity of this “Home Row” concept has made learning and applying new scales/modes easier.

Today, let’s start with the Minor scale and change it to a Phrygian mode.

Here is A Minor

A B C D E F G A

To make this a Phyrgian mode, we lower the 2nd scale degree, B to Bb. That’s it. One Note.

A Phrygian

A Bb C D E F G A

As demonstrated in the video below, I walk through the Three Things method and then improvise over a basic Phrygian chord progression. To build a Phrygian chord progression, start with a minor chord (Aminor) and then play a Major chord a half step higher (BbMajor). E minor to F major is easy to play as “folk chords”. Throw on a capo and go to town!

Have Phun!!

Josh