Scales · Phrygian Key of C♯

C♯ Phrygian Scale on guitar · notes, intervals & diagram

The C♯ Phrygian scale contains the notes C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯, A, B. Minor with a flat 2nd — exotic, Spanish, slightly menacing. The b2 is the defining sound.

Standard tuning · 15 frets

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EADGBE 35791215 E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E F♯ A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A B D E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E G♯ A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D E F♯ Root Scale note

Notes & intervals.

# Degree Note
1 1 C♯ root
2 b2 D
3 b3 E
4 4 F♯
5 5 G♯
6 b6 A
7 b7 B

Sound & use

Minor with a flat 2nd — exotic, Spanish, slightly menacing. The b2 is the defining sound.

Flamenco, metal (the dark mode of choice), Spanish-classical guitar, modal jazz over phrygian chord vamps.

Common in: flamenco, metal, classical, jazz

Try it interactively

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Other scales

Other scales in the key of C♯.

Scale

C♯ Major

Bright, resolved, optimistic — the default sound of Western pop, folk and most children's music.

Scale

C♯ Natural Minor

Melancholy, introspective, serious — but not desperately sad. The classic "minor key" sound.

Scale

C♯ Major Pentatonic

The major scale with the 4 and 7 removed — five notes that "always work" over a major chord. Sweet, melodic, never dissonant.

Scale

C♯ Minor Pentatonic

The scale that built rock and blues. Bluesy, plaintive, and easy to play in five connected positions across the neck.

Scale

C♯ Blues

Minor pentatonic plus the "blue note" (b5). Gritty, vocal, instantly recognisable as the blues.

Scale

C♯ Dorian

Minor with a major 6th — darker than major, warmer than natural minor. Sophisticated, hopeful-melancholy.

Scale

C♯ Lydian

Major with a raised 4th — dreamy, suspended, otherworldly. The sound of film-score wonder.

Scale

C♯ Mixolydian

Major with a flat 7th — bright but bluesy. The "rock major scale".

Scale

C♯ Locrian

The "weird one" — minor with both a flat 2nd and a flat 5th. Restless, dissonant, hard to resolve.

Scale

C♯ Harmonic Minor

Natural minor with a raised 7th — creates the dramatic 1.5-step gap between b6 and 7. Classical, neo-classical, Middle-Eastern flavours.

Scale

C♯ Melodic Minor

Minor scale with a major 6th and 7th going up (jazz/ascending form). Sophisticated, slippery, modern.

Scale

C♯ Phrygian Dominant

Phrygian with a major 3rd — the iconic flamenco/Middle-Eastern sound. Major flavour, minor tension.

Scale

C♯ Hungarian Minor

Two augmented seconds (between b3–#4 and b6–7) give this scale its distinctive Eastern European / Romani drama.

Scale

C♯ Whole Tone

Six equally-spaced notes, no semitones — the symmetrical "dreamlike" scale. No clear tonic; ambiguous and weightless.

Scale

C♯ Hirajoshi

Traditional Japanese pentatonic — austere, contemplative, instantly evocative of koto music.

All keys

Phrygian scale in every key.

FAQ

About the C♯ Phrygian scale
on guitar.

What notes are in the C♯ Phrygian scale?

The C♯ Phrygian scale contains the notes C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯, A, B. The intervals from the root are 1, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7.

Where does the C♯ Phrygian scale come from?

It's the Phrygian scale rooted on C♯. Minor with a flat 2nd — exotic, Spanish, slightly menacing. The b2 is the defining sound. Flamenco, metal (the dark mode of choice), Spanish-classical guitar, modal jazz over phrygian chord vamps.

How do I practise the C♯ Phrygian scale on guitar?

Start with the diagram on this page — find the root notes (the orange dots) and play through the pattern slowly, alternating picking. Once the shape is in your hands, set a metronome at around 60 BPM and play it ascending and descending in eighth-notes. Use the free metronome to keep yourself honest.

Which genres use the C♯ Phrygian scale?

The Phrygian scale is found across flamenco, metal, classical, jazz. The character of the key — C♯ — affects how it feels rather than how it works: a C♯ Phrygian solo has the same intervals and the same emotional shape as any other Phrygian solo, just transposed.

Can I print the C♯ Phrygian fretboard diagram?

Yes. Use your browser's print function (Cmd/Ctrl + P) — the diagram on this page is a vector SVG that prints crisply at any size. Or use the interactive scale generator to export the same diagram as a standalone SVG or PNG file.