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6.16.3 Phrygian Scale, Chords, and Relative Keys
The Phrygian scale corresponds to the white keys beginning and ending with E:
E – F – G – A – B – C – D – E
It's the same as the natural minor scale, except with a minor second.
(Remember, you can play a Phrygian mode scale beginning with any note—it doesn’t have to be E—so long as you preserve the order of tones and semitones for the mode.)
Like the Dorian mode, the Phrygian is considered a minor mode. The third note of the scale forms a minor third with the tonic (in this example E – G), making the tonic chord a minor triad (Em).
And, like the Dorian, there are two possible relative keys, one with VI as the tonic, the other with III as the tonic.
When you apply the circular harmonic scale construction rules to the Phrygian mode, you get the two possible versions shown in the example below (Figure 124).
FIGURE 124: Chord Map of Phrygian Mode Circular Harmonic Scales