G♭ Phrygian Scale
The G♭ Phrygian scale contains 7 notes: G♭, A♭♭, B♭♭, C♭, D♭, E♭♭, F♭.
G♭ Phrygian scale on the piano
Key facts
What is the Phrygian scale?
Phrygian is the third mode of the major scale — a minor scale with a lowered second. The half step between the first two notes gives it the Spanish and flamenco colour, and it is a staple of metal riffing.
G♭ Phrygian uses the same notes as D Major, started from degree 3 instead of the first. The notes are shared; the tonic, and therefore the sound, is not.
G♭ Phrygian is a scale, not a key. It has no key signature of its own — music that uses it is normally written in the key signature of its parent scale, with any extra accidentals added as they occur.
Scale degrees of G♭ Phrygian
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G♭ | P1 | 0 |
| 2 | A♭♭ | m2 | 1 |
| 3 | B♭♭ | m3 | 3 |
| 4 | C♭ | P4 | 5 |
| 5 | D♭ | P5 | 7 |
| 6 | E♭♭ | m6 | 8 |
| 7 | F♭ | m7 | 10 |
Chords in G♭ Phrygian
These are the triads built on each degree of G♭ Phrygian using only notes from the scale.
Other scales on G♭
Every scale type that starts on G♭, for comparison.
- G♭ major
- G♭ Dorian
- G♭ Lydian
- G♭ Mixolydian
- G♭ Locrian
- G♭ Harmonic Minor
- G♭ Melodic Minor
- G♭ Harmonic Major
- G♭ Hungarian Minor
- G♭ Phrygian Dominant
- G♭ Lydian Dominant
- G♭ Major Pentatonic
- G♭ Minor Pentatonic
- G♭ Blues
- G♭ Whole Tone
- G♭ Chromatic
- G♭ Half-Whole Diminished
- G♭ Whole-Half Diminished
- G♭ Bebop Dominant
- G♭ Bebop Major
Phrygian in every key
Frequently asked questions
What notes are in the G♭ Phrygian scale?
The G♭ Phrygian scale has 7 notes: G♭, A♭♭, B♭♭, C♭, D♭, E♭♭, F♭.
What is the formula for the G♭ Phrygian scale?
The G♭ Phrygian scale follows the step pattern H–W–W–W–H–W–W, where H is a half step and W is a whole step.
What scale is G♭ Phrygian derived from?
G♭ Phrygian is the mode of D Major that starts on its 3 degree. Both scales use the same notes but resolve to a different tonic.
What chords are in the G♭ Phrygian scale?
The triads built from the G♭ Phrygian scale are G♭m, A♭♭, B♭♭, C♭m, D♭dim, E♭♭, F♭m.
