Home / Scales / Compare / Phrygian vs Natural Minor

E Phrygian vs E Natural Minor

A single flattened second is what makes one of these sound Spanish, and the other merely sad.

⇄ Open this comparison in the interactive tool →
A

E Phrygian Mode

eBGDAE3579121517EFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGABCDEFGA
Root♭23rd4th5th♭67th

Notes: E – F – G – A – B – C – D  ·  Formula: 1 – ♭2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7

B

E Natural Minor (Aeolian)

eBGDAE3579121517EF#GABCDEF#GABCDEF#GABCDEGABCDEF#GABCDEF#GABCDEF#GABCDEF#GABCDEF#GABCDEF#GA
Root2nd3rd4th5th♭67th

Notes: E – F# – G – A – B – C – D  ·  Formula: 1 – 2 – ♭3 – 4 – 5 – ♭6 – ♭7

What's the difference?

Shared notesE1G♭3A4B5C♭6D♭7
Only in PhrygianF♭2
Only in Natural MinorF#2
Why it matters: Phrygian is natural minor with a flattened 2nd. That half-step right above the root is the entire difference — and the source of Phrygian's dark, Spanish, metal-flavoured tension.

Shown in E: the open low E string is where Phrygian lives in flamenco and metal, and it matches the E Phrygian page.

Go deeper on each scale
E PhrygianScale page
Related comparisons
Major vs Natural MinorComparisonDorian vs Natural MinorComparisonHarmonic Minor vs Natural MinorComparison
Hear the difference

Scales sound even better than they look.

Light either scale up across the whole fretboard and hear every note in context.

Open the Studio →