It's such a terrible shame that so many vpn providers use these atrocious rebate traps, where they'll give you a seemingly huge discount for multiple year plans "but only if you subscribe within the next 30 or so minutes". And, surprise surprise, when the time is up, the offer just keeps renewing over and over and over. In fact what is advertised as a limited time offer usually is available permanently, maybe with a slight variation in the percentage at most. This type of bait absolutely sickens me and I will never, ever purchase anything from a company that uses this type of strategy and would advise others to do the same. I get that people need to be able to provide for themselves but is it really necessary to sell your soul like that? :/
Crazy thing, back in 2000s I used to listen to hip hop, but once it got more into electro, I began listening to metal, because metal had the sound I wanted. Now I know the sound I wanted was the phrygian
@Lex Baker well its very rare to hear locrian cause the tonic chord is a minor dim5th and its sounds like flames pain and hell xd but also cool for some ears
There is plenty of Phrygian in Electronica, & trip hop, you just have to know what to listen to. Tool has definitely built a career of Phrygian ha. If that's what you like, then maybe start listening to more music from Central Asia and the Middle East.
My love of Pagan folk, Middle Eastern and Romani music, and White Rabbit explains.... A lot lol But interestingly I'm a huge classic rock lover which is hugely dominated by Mixolydian; he quoted Cars by Numan, too, which is a huge love of mine. So without knowing what I've done, I've been seeking out Phrygian/Mixolydian songs just by enjoying them
About that peace of music you wrote : In Persian Music we have exactly this mode, called (Dashti in Shour) Interesting point : If you change the G to G# and play the E chord Major instead Minor, The name of the Scale and its rules will be completely changed and it will become to another mode, called (Shoushtari in Homayoun)
"A mode is when you take a scale... but treat a different note as the tonic". Aaaaaand the use and purpose of modes finally falls into place. Someone said it elsewhere in the comments, but undoubtedly the best music-related channel on RUclips. Really great stuff, David. Thanks so much.
What a great video! However, it kinda upsets me when musicians ignore Flamenco when it relies almost solely on Phrygian mode and yet no one ever talks about it. The two main styles (that I know so far) are "Por Medio" and "Por Arriba". Por Medio ("from the middle") relies on A phrygian which can be easily arranged on the top 5 strings of a guitar (A-D-G-B-E), while Por Arriba ("from above") uses all 6 strings of a guitar and relies on the E Phrygian scale. Certain sub-styles of Flamenco also characterized on "Por Medio" or "Por Arriba". Tangos and Bulerias use Por Medio, while Soleas and Fandangos use "Por Arriba".
I was playing around on my ukulele one time and played G, F, E7 and it reminded me of Flamenco music and now I know why. It basically centers around B Phrygian (although the F Natural is non-diatonic for that)
16:01 I also hear this song as C Phrygian. For some reason, to me it always sounded like C in a “dark” mode, and C Phrygian definitely makes a lot of sense!
To me it sounded kind of like phrygian, but very bright. It's apparent there is a flat second. A bit too resolved: I wouldn't guess either major or phrygian. If I didn't knew the answer phrygian wouldn't be my guess, but some scale of the major family. (That being said I barely have good tonal hearing) At the end the C drone is far more convincing to me than thr bA drone.
Phrygian and Lydian are my favorite modes. I like the mysteriousness and desert feel of Phrygian (a lot of rock and metal songs seem to use it) and the spacey psychedelic feel of Lydian. I would love to find new music in both of these scales.
For me Phrygian immediately screams metal ethnic/arab or flamenco music, not hiphop in particular. Therefor hiphop has way too much variety of sample use. (Note that his examples were mostly from “arabian”samples) Hiphop can be anything with a beat
I’m a Flamenco guitarist and composer and really enjoyed your video on Phrygian which is the home of 90% of my compositions. I’ve always called your Phrygian Dominant/Major - “Altered Phrygian” due to the #3 in our I Chord example E7(b9) I think of it being a borrowed #7 of the relative A harmonic minor so when you Go to build the E chord, it becomes Major instead of minor with the added b9. Anyways, I love this theory geek out stuff. Nice job!
Phrygian is also used really nicely in the Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s present in songs for the character Sally and her interactions with Jack Skellington. Specifically Sally’s Song uses Phrygian. Although if I recall it’s primarily minor harmonies, but Sally’s vocals are Phrygian and use the unusual note to end every other line. It’s beautifully ethereal. Locative is also used at times, so it’s a lovely display of Danny Elfman’s music skills.
@@jessevandendoren because the Spanish got it from the Moors who invaded Andalusia at the time. They imparted their Mesopotamian influences over there and now we associate one half of Spanish music with that tradition. Regular Phrygian is traditionally not Middle Eastern due to the minor third inherent in it. You'll even find that in ancient Mesoamerican cultures - today known as Mexico, Central America and South America. Whether or not Phrygian is of Spanish or Central/South American origin remains to be debated. For the version you're talking about In reality it's called the "Jewish" of "Freygish" (Hebrew for "Phrygian") scale, it's popularly most recognized in "Hava Nagila". It's Iranian half is called "Harmonic Minor", which derives from the same scale. In Jazz we use Phrygian Dominant, to play over V chords. It's to go where the VII is Full Diminished and resolves to the I which is Minor. Using it that way creates a powerfully dark, but mystical finish to music.
The whole modes/scales topic was a complete rocket science for me before I found your channel. Thanks a ton, you're doing a great job with this graphical presentations, examples from real songs and examples like "how it would without this note flattened" etc
I love how you're showing us how it would sound like in normal mode. It's so great for imagionation, it gives so mouch more understaning of the amosphere of each of the modes. And it also creates some funny positive caricatures of the metal songs
Being a non musician I find the information that you deliver is top notch. Even for myself I find it intrigues me. I actually can follow and understand it. It teach me the difference between what makes a good song great. Little minor tweaks can convey a major shift in the flow and emotion of a song. At any extent I thank you for your efforts and enlightenment.
This video made me realize that Frozen by Madonna may use Phrygian during the chorus and outro. The key of the song is in Fm (ionian) but in the 7th bar of the chorus the song plays a Gb chord followed by an Absus4 before returning to the tonic where she sings G naturals again. I’ve always wondered what to call that pattern, the song also blends Indian/Moroccan influences with electronica.
I'm really happy that you use some examples from metal music because a lot of really good modes get put to use in metal music that doesn't get paid attention to.
@@goatkoala573 No it isnt metal is complete stupid music that should not get any attention. But its good not he added a hardrock band like Iron Maiden.
@@brendanm6921 I dont give a shit what people generally think of Iron Maiden because most people are ignorant sheep when it comes to rockmusic. They are a hardrock band and your devilhorn saluting metal-ass is not welcome here.
I feel like "Gates of Babylon" is too, the main riff, E Phrygian, I suppose. It gives it that Arabian feel. A couple of classic songs from one of the best bands ever.
I feel that another really good examole of a Phrygian song is Fulenn by Alvan & Ahez, feom Eurovison 2022. Its in Bb Phrygian, which gives it a very distinct magical and dark feel, almost atonal in nature; matching the feel of the song(since its about being careless, breaking away from the usual, and just partying with nature) and also sticking to Bretons culture. Since Bretonic music is of Celtic origin(and Celtic music tends to use a lot of phrygian) its also what gives Fulenn its signature "Celt" feel.
11:05 The name of the singer and the lyrics are Greek. The name of the song is also Greek. It means Egyptian. I know the origins of the melody are hazy, but this specific incarnation of it is firmly a part of the Greek rebetiko genre.
@@3500ton What are you trying to say? That all songs are Greek? It would be a moot point to point out then, wouldn't it? also, not all modes are Greek. Maqam Bayati or Raag Miyan ki Todi don't sound like Greek names to me, neither do their notes.
@@rasmusn.e.m1064 i think he means the western modes only. They are called as greek modes too, cause they're suppose to come from them. Jonic, doric, phrygian etc are all greek names.
@@rasmusn.e.m1064 I don't think he meant it like that or in any bad way. Phrygian as a language is super close to Greek and was spoken mainly in West Anatolia. When I discovered this mode I realised how "Greek" it sounds in a way. Especially a lot of Athenian old school hiphop and traditional music in urban areas (even tho Phrygian was never spoken in that area). It even reminds me of some Turkish sounds with electric guitar even and honestly, that makes sense. I found it fascinating because after I saw this video I realised that those songs specifically as well as the genres that mainly use Phrygian mode are classics and very popular among Greek people!
I definitely hear the Tame Impala song in C Phrygian, and it does have a somewhat dark sound to it. But I wonder if those people who hear it in Ab hear it in a lighter context. How would we know?
from the short excerpt in this video I hear it in Ab major. It clearly does sound light and happy to me, like it resolves to the C as the third of the major scale, not the root of phrygian. But maybe if I listen to the whole song it might turn out differently.
I've played the bass line on the guitar and it starts with the diminished 2nd for C Phrygian, descending before finishing with the tonic note, so the way i see it structually fits that mode. Also it fails to hit the A tonic which makes the C Phrygian much more obvious too, seems interesting how some people see it the other way without a tonic note.
In Pink Floyd’s “Hey You” the intro starts with an Em and Dm vamp, therefore using that flatted second in the key of E minor. Though the song doesn’t really stick to Phrygian the whole time, that intro is a short example of some more cool Phrygian.
Except the melody goes 3-2 ("Hey you") rather than 3-b2. That plus the very first note of the song is the 9/sus2/F# or whatever you want to call it, making it minor. If the second note of the scale were completely omitted throughout I could see an argument for it suggesting phrygian by going from Em to Dm but considering all throughout the Em bars there are F#s littered throughout, I'd argue very strongly against it being phrygian.
@@Stellarainn The darkness of Hey You definitely comes probably primarily from the relationship between Em and Dm, however I'd also suggest it comes from the "Hey You" finishing on the 2nd, having a feeling of suspense (though technically the vocals fall to the tonic/E quietly), along with the melody itself being restrained to the range of around a minor third. That plus the eerie production, the tone of the guitar etc. The piece isn't in E phrygian though.
Very good discussion of the phrygian mode. White rabbit always reminded me of the spanish flamenco song "Malagueña". Malagueña also combines phrygian with phrygian major. As you probably know the iconic guitar pattern starts with arpeggiated E major (E G# B E G# B) but melodically walks down as it resolves back using a G instead of G# ( A C B A G F E). I really love both of these songs. If you know Malagueña on piano I would love to hear it!
I think it's genius that "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" has this ambiguous 'major/minor' feel because the chorus has this contrast of optimism ('feel like a brand new person') and pessimism ('but you'll make the same old mistakes'). And these voices argue with each other
Another metal song that screams Phrygian is Nightwish's Slaying the Dreamer. The intro to the track to Doom 1's E1M4 level also uses Phrygian. It starts with in F#m but in the 2nd bar there's a G5 chord.
“Doctor Who” uses the Phrygian mode. Both Ron Grainer’s theme tune and Murray Gold’s leitmotifs. Quite right too. It’s a perfect flavour for The Doctor and his Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey world. Your videos are ace. You’re a marvellous musician and a terrific teacher. Thank you.
That piece at the end was brilliant! Also, I felt the Tame Impala track was in C Phrygian - but that was from the small bit I heard in the video. Lovely video as always!
For 'pop' music that features Phrygian, I think I'm right in saying that in Eurovision 2021, both "Mata Hari" from Azerbaijan, and maybe also "The Moon is Rising" from Latvia both were written in Phrygian.
Yes Mata Hari switches between Phrygian and Aeolian. The verses are Aeolian, then it switches to Phrygian starting at "just like Cleopatra" through most of the chorus, then back to Aeolian at the end of the chorus for that one last "Mata Ha-a-ri". Now I want to learn it on piano... Such a badass song!
I know that David usually doesn't cover classical music, but one of my favorite examples of Phrygian being used is in Brahms' fourth symphony. The second movement (especially the beginning and the end) use E major Phrygian to give the movement a bold, exotic, and noble feel.
That music at the end of the video is soo awesome. It is exactly the type of sound that makes me just stop, close my eyes and trip out for a while. Love it!
I love how you give many examples and compare different songs/scales/modes in the same video, so the concepts become much clear. and I think to be able to make these relations you've got to be an expert in the sense that you are comfortable to talk about all these possibilities (different scales, uses, contexts) without any hesitation. this is one of my favorite channels, the way you "mix" (music) theory and practice is wonderful.
To me, the upshot of this video was the explanation of what a mode is. No one has been able to explain it thus, treating a different note as a root. In this case the 3rd note of a major scale as the root. Now all of videos about modes make sense. Thank you so much.
As far as I know, 'Misirlou' refers to an Arab theme and perhaps imitates aspects of Arabic music. In Wikipedia it says that it's a song about an Egyptian girl. However it seems to have been first published in Athens in 1920 (I definitely read that somewhere) and I'm quite certain that it was composed by a Greek who, like many of his generation, had recently been expelled from Turkey during the 'ethnic cleansing' taking place there in the early part of the 20th century. The whole 'rebetiko' scene came about as a result of that and I've always thought of this song as being born out of that culture. We might not know definitively who composed it but I very much doubt that it was an Arab. I just thought I'd share that thought but I'm not an expert in these field. I loved this videos as indeed all of your videos. Great work!
'Meeting of the Spirits', the opening track from the Mahavishnu Orchestra's first album 'The Inner Mounting Flame' is a good example of a Phrygian mode piece (instrumental rather than song in this case) in the fusion genre. The explosive intro chord sequence gives way to the arpeggiated F# Phrygian riff that acts as a foundation for most of the rest of the track and band members' solos.
My personal favorite song in Phrygian is Montero! I love the Eb to E. It manages to be interesting while also being simple. Such a smart thing to have in a pop song Edit: I NEVER REALIZED HUMBLE WAS IN PHRYGIAN 😂
You could say that New Person, Same Old Mistakes, the ambiguity of the tonic is part of the concept of this song. The ambiguity of a person that thinks has changed but its still the same one committing the same old mistakes. I don't really know if it was intentional, but finding this sort of details is what makes music one of the best arts humanity has created.
Another way to detect a mode is by how often certain notes sound like tension notes in a given piece. Each mode has these tension notes in specific places, and in fact need these tension notes played in certain ways to help give them that flavor. For that Tame Impala song, the Ab sounds like a tension note more often, so it sounds less like a root note candidate. C sounds more often like a release or resting note, so it's more likely to be a candidate for the root note. I'm going with C Phrygian based mainly on this.
I agree with this take on the Tame Impala tune. I can't speak to the whole song, but in this excerpt, because the melody rests on the C, that sounds like the tonic of the mode.
Imagine if there were non-Phrygian pop songs in Phrygian. "The Man Who Sold the World" by David Bowie; "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Nancy Sinatra. I think that would be really cool.
If you frame A as the tonal center of Man Who Sold the World, it's basically A Phrygian but always replacing the A minor w/ A major. Or you can call it D minor since that's where it ultimately resolves, but the ambiguity is still present. It is Bowie after all.
Now I understand why I enjoyed certain songs on the radio as a kid and disliked others. I don't prefer songs for their lyrics or artist, just how they sound. The ones I actually liked were the ones in Phrygian mode. Looking through my music playlist, a lot of them are Phrygian (I think). You really are the best music teacher on RUclips. You helped me clear things up about what sounds I like vs dislike and helped me with my own music writing. Thank you
100% C phrygian. And yes, as many others have commented, this is one of the truly great music-related channels on RUclips...possibly even the best. Keep up the fine work, David. Cheers!
@@benbyrd4552 the term was coined in the late '80s after Warhammer 40000's slogan, "In the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, there is only war" Homestuck merely popularized it outside the niche hobby of sci-fi wargaming
Oh my gosh I slept through music theory as a kid taking piano lessons, but I heard the most captivating wind chime and I could not rest until I recorded the notes, replicated the scale, and researched modes till I landed on Phrygian. Thank you for making it make more sense!
I'm a sucker for Phrygian and any of the other scales with minor seconds - I love how tense that flattened note makes them sound. Hell, I've been working on an absolute banger of a song that's in _Locrian,_ of all things. Personally, I think the downwards 2 to 1 resolution is very satisfying, particularly in Phrygian Dominant. I agree that an upwards resolution is more difficult.
"Uninvited" by Alanis Morrisette is in Phrygian Dominant. Really cool and haunting sound with the 4 piano notes in the background. And the use of tabla really gives that dark, exotic, mysterious vibes to the song.
Wow... I'm really new to music theory, and surprisingly, when I talked of all that I learned here with the musicians in my family they didn't know about it and actually learned something... This is great lol
Thank you! I must have watched ten videos about modes and still didn’t get it. “Take a scale and treat a different note as the tonic” and it finally clicked for me. Thank you, I love your channel!
I was thinking in the example that used D to set up the resolution to E that the natural set up would be to drop down from the flat 2 rather than rise from below. That's certainly how Gregorian chant tends to resolve Phyrgian.... so I was happy to see you doing precisely that in your piece at the end.
This is the best deep dive into Phrygian I’ve come across, and I love the exploration of tonal ambiguity. Hope you explore tonal ambiguity more in some later videos. Great work keep it up!
Thank you so much for these videos! I've been struggling with my mental health and even though I've studied music have been wanting with new ways to approach songwriting... these Mode explanation videos are a great refresher and great for songwriting inspiration!
Such a deep and useful understanding came from this video. Thanks from Las Vegas, I have no musical background other then I know what sounds good and what needs more production. This made a beginner like me able to know what Phrygian mode is and how it's used.
Part of what makes the lack of clarity of the tonal center so great in Tame Impala's "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" is the lyric's ambiguity: the speaker is having a conversation with himself, part of him optimistic about changing his bad habits, part of him pessimistic and predicting he won't change
The "Jaws" theme is the example of Phrygian I always think of. The iconic two-note riff exploits that dark, intimidating feeling of the minor second interval.
What's your favourite example of a song using the Phrygian mode?
It's such a terrible shame that so many vpn providers use these atrocious rebate traps, where they'll give you a seemingly huge discount for multiple year plans "but only if you subscribe within the next 30 or so minutes". And, surprise surprise, when the time is up, the offer just keeps renewing over and over and over. In fact what is advertised as a limited time offer usually is available permanently, maybe with a slight variation in the percentage at most. This type of bait absolutely sickens me and I will never, ever purchase anything from a company that uses this type of strategy and would advise others to do the same.
I get that people need to be able to provide for themselves but is it really necessary to sell your soul like that? :/
Another awesome video!! I would also like to know that what are your thoughts on "Like a Prayer" by Madonna, do you like the song?? Thanks
Without a doubt Phrygian, as it is not major feeling/sounding at all, to my ear.
I heard C phrygian. The a flat sounded off to me.
DO YOU THINK "REQUIEM PARA MATRAGA", FROM GERALDO VANDRÉ, IS IN A PHRYGIAN?
Crazy thing, back in 2000s I used to listen to hip hop, but once it got more into electro, I began listening to metal, because metal had the sound I wanted. Now I know the sound I wanted was the phrygian
This makes me wonder what sound I’m trying to find, I listen to pretty much everything
@Lex Baker well its very rare to hear locrian cause the tonic chord is a minor dim5th and its sounds like flames pain and hell xd but also cool for some ears
There is plenty of Phrygian in Electronica, & trip hop, you just have to know what to listen to. Tool has definitely built a career of Phrygian ha. If that's what you like, then maybe start listening to more music from Central Asia and the Middle East.
You wanted that phrygian phlavor.
My love of Pagan folk, Middle Eastern and Romani music, and White Rabbit explains.... A lot lol
But interestingly I'm a huge classic rock lover which is hugely dominated by Mixolydian; he quoted Cars by Numan, too, which is a huge love of mine. So without knowing what I've done, I've been seeking out Phrygian/Mixolydian songs just by enjoying them
About that peace of music you wrote :
In Persian Music we have exactly this mode, called (Dashti in Shour)
Interesting point :
If you change the G to G# and play the E chord Major instead Minor, The name of the Scale and its rules will be completely changed and it will become to another mode, called (Shoushtari in Homayoun)
"A mode is when you take a scale... but treat a different note as the tonic". Aaaaaand the use and purpose of modes finally falls into place. Someone said it elsewhere in the comments, but undoubtedly the best music-related channel on RUclips. Really great stuff, David. Thanks so much.
Thanks Jamie! 😀
This concept really unlocked music for me. It's all about things relate to each other. Rhythm, harmony, melody...
Yeah indeed! I never really got modes until that!
I came from 4chan, theres a music board there called /mu some ppl were talking about good music youtubers and he was mentioned a lot
Wait until you realize the way the modes were derived… by counting black keys.
What a great video! However, it kinda upsets me when musicians ignore Flamenco when it relies almost solely on Phrygian mode and yet no one ever talks about it. The two main styles (that I know so far) are "Por Medio" and "Por Arriba". Por Medio ("from the middle") relies on A phrygian which can be easily arranged on the top 5 strings of a guitar (A-D-G-B-E), while Por Arriba ("from above") uses all 6 strings of a guitar and relies on the E Phrygian scale. Certain sub-styles of Flamenco also characterized on "Por Medio" or "Por Arriba". Tangos and Bulerias use Por Medio, while Soleas and Fandangos use "Por Arriba".
I was just about to say the same thing...
flamenco is rad. always liked it
I was playing around on my ukulele one time and played G, F, E7 and it reminded me of Flamenco music and now I know why. It basically centers around B Phrygian (although the F Natural is non-diatonic for that)
New Person, Same Old Mistakes = C Phrygian for me. For sure.
I think it's in F minor.
C here to.
F minor
C. The melody rest so much on the tone
I can unterstand both, but I like A-Flat‘s vibe more
16:01 I also hear this song as C Phrygian. For some reason, to me it always sounded like C in a “dark” mode, and C Phrygian definitely makes a lot of sense!
I concur with C Phrygian
To me it sounded kind of like phrygian, but very bright. It's apparent there is a flat second. A bit too resolved: I wouldn't guess either major or phrygian.
If I didn't knew the answer phrygian wouldn't be my guess, but some scale of the major family. (That being said I barely have good tonal hearing)
At the end the C drone is far more convincing to me than thr bA drone.
This is by far the best music channel on RUclips. Great work.
Thank you! 😃😃
I think sammy g is on the same level but theyre at the top both
Rick Beato
@@Henry-uv9xu Rick has too much boomer energy
adam neely and charles cornell are fire too
Phrygian and Lydian are my favorite modes. I like the mysteriousness and desert feel of Phrygian (a lot of rock and metal songs seem to use it) and the spacey psychedelic feel of Lydian. I would love to find new music in both of these scales.
i'm pretty sure you know KGALW but in case i suggest you to check that if you like exotic psychedelic music and microtonality
I like Locrian.
Check out Sam Smith unholy
Same.
@@juliehirsh1436too obvious and gimmicky for me. Really taking the exotic sound to make it sound dark n sleazy. Very catchy though😂
You're so right about that hip-hop sound, I hadn't thought about how "phrygian" that sound was. But it was so ubiquitous during that era of rap.
I think of Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio
@@victoresquivel8546 Stevie Wonder
@@StratsRUs Stevie isnt rap
For me Phrygian immediately screams metal ethnic/arab or flamenco music, not hiphop in particular. Therefor hiphop has way too much variety of sample use. (Note that his examples were mostly from “arabian”samples) Hiphop can be anything with a beat
@@hoidoei941 Yeah hip hop/rap is usually in the scale of whatever they sampled that day and put a beat over the top of it 😜
I’m a Flamenco guitarist and composer and really enjoyed your video on Phrygian which is the home of 90% of my compositions. I’ve always called your Phrygian Dominant/Major - “Altered Phrygian” due to the #3 in our I Chord example E7(b9) I think of it being a borrowed #7 of the relative A harmonic minor so when you Go to build the E chord, it becomes Major instead of minor with the added b9. Anyways, I love this theory geek out stuff. Nice job!
So from this I conclude that the Beatles never had a song that used Phrygian.
Exact, lol
Maybe they did, but David just didn't incl---oh right
🤣
I tried so hard to think of an example, but I genuinely can’t. You might be right.
Do they have anything in Lydian even?
Phrygian is also used really nicely in the Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s present in songs for the character Sally and her interactions with Jack Skellington. Specifically Sally’s Song uses Phrygian. Although if I recall it’s primarily minor harmonies, but Sally’s vocals are Phrygian and use the unusual note to end every other line. It’s beautifully ethereal. Locative is also used at times, so it’s a lovely display of Danny Elfman’s music skills.
How much Phrygian do you want?
Metal and flamenco songs:
*yes*
Phrygian dominant is used a lot too in metal, Nile kinda loves it a bit too much and so do I
Phrygian dominant is also called 'Spanish Phrygian' for a reason.
@@jessevandendoren Spanish phrygian has a minor and major third.
@@jessevandendoren because the Spanish got it from the Moors who invaded Andalusia at the time. They imparted their Mesopotamian influences over there and now we associate one half of Spanish music with that tradition. Regular Phrygian is traditionally not Middle Eastern due to the minor third inherent in it. You'll even find that in ancient Mesoamerican cultures - today known as Mexico, Central America and South America. Whether or not Phrygian is of Spanish or Central/South American origin remains to be debated. For the version you're talking about In reality it's called the "Jewish" of "Freygish" (Hebrew for "Phrygian") scale, it's popularly most recognized in "Hava Nagila".
It's Iranian half is called "Harmonic Minor", which derives from the same scale. In Jazz we use Phrygian Dominant, to play over V chords. It's to go where the VII is Full Diminished and resolves to the I which is Minor. Using it that way creates a powerfully dark, but mystical finish to music.
Jazz songs yes three my song Rhombus is in Phrygian Mode
The whole modes/scales topic was a complete rocket science for me before I found your channel. Thanks a ton, you're doing a great job with this graphical presentations, examples from real songs and examples like "how it would without this note flattened" etc
13:00 It took you very long this time to get to the Radiohead example of the video hahahaha
Yup - I was "Where's the Radiohead example?"
That's because it's not just basic Phrygian mode for them - it's of course more complex than that
30 seconds into the video I thought Pyramid Song 😂
I love how you're showing us how it would sound like in normal mode. It's so great for imagionation, it gives so mouch more understaning of the amosphere of each of the modes. And it also creates some funny positive caricatures of the metal songs
Being a non musician I find the information that you deliver is top notch.
Even for myself I find it intrigues me. I actually can follow and understand it.
It teach me the difference between what makes a good song great.
Little minor tweaks can convey a major shift in the flow and emotion of a song.
At any extent I thank you for your efforts and enlightenment.
This video made me realize that Frozen by Madonna may use Phrygian during the chorus and outro. The key of the song is in Fm (ionian) but in the 7th bar of the chorus the song plays a Gb chord followed by an Absus4 before returning to the tonic where she sings G naturals again. I’ve always wondered what to call that pattern, the song also blends Indian/Moroccan influences with electronica.
I'm really happy that you use some examples from metal music because a lot of really good modes get put to use in metal music that doesn't get paid attention to.
True. Can't wait for the day he talks about Opeth or Cattle Decapitation. And maybe Tool in detail as well.
True. Sometimes for non metal listeners it’s hard to appreciate what’s going on and many time it’s really interesting and clever stuff
@@goatkoala573 No it isnt metal is complete stupid music that should not get any attention. But its good not he added a hardrock band like Iron Maiden.
@@michaeldejong2700 Iron Maiden are generally considered to be a heavy metal band. And you really need to open up your mind a bit more.
@@brendanm6921 I dont give a shit what people generally think of Iron Maiden because most people are ignorant sheep when it comes to rockmusic. They are a hardrock band and your devilhorn saluting metal-ass is not welcome here.
"Waiting For The Sun" by The Doors is another song that blends "D" Phrygian Dominant & "D" Phrygian. Thanks for a great lesson.
"Stargazer" by Rainbow is a great example of a Phrygian Dominant song.
Where's your s t a r?
Ritchie Blackmore was a HUGE fan of Phrygian Domiant - the intro to Anya and the live outro for Perfect Strangers are some examples.
In jazz and Klezmer music, we call it Freygish scale. It's one of my favorites.
E phrygian dom? Or B phrygian dom?
I feel like "Gates of Babylon" is too, the main riff, E Phrygian, I suppose. It gives it that Arabian feel. A couple of classic songs from one of the best bands ever.
I feel that another really good examole of a Phrygian song is Fulenn by Alvan & Ahez, feom Eurovison 2022. Its in Bb Phrygian, which gives it a very distinct magical and dark feel, almost atonal in nature; matching the feel of the song(since its about being careless, breaking away from the usual, and just partying with nature) and also sticking to Bretons culture. Since Bretonic music is of Celtic origin(and Celtic music tends to use a lot of phrygian) its also what gives Fulenn its signature "Celt" feel.
That piece of music you wrote... It has such beautiful emotions, I still have goosebumps after hearing it. Love your work:)
its cool
Love how in the symphony of destruction example David used the live in Argentina version with the public singing "aguante Megadeath"
11:05 The name of the singer and the lyrics are Greek. The name of the song is also Greek. It means Egyptian. I know the origins of the melody are hazy, but this specific incarnation of it is firmly a part of the Greek rebetiko genre.
there are hundreds Greek songs in Phrygian. It is a Greek mode, just like all others!
@@3500ton What are you trying to say? That all songs are Greek? It would be a moot point to point out then, wouldn't it?
also, not all modes are Greek. Maqam Bayati or Raag Miyan ki Todi don't sound like Greek names to me, neither do their notes.
@@rasmusn.e.m1064 i think he means the western modes only. They are called as greek modes too, cause they're suppose to come from them.
Jonic, doric, phrygian etc are all greek names.
@@rasmusn.e.m1064 I don't think he meant it like that or in any bad way. Phrygian as a language is super close to Greek and was spoken mainly in West Anatolia.
When I discovered this mode I realised how "Greek" it sounds in a way. Especially a lot of Athenian old school hiphop and traditional music in urban areas (even tho Phrygian was never spoken in that area). It even reminds me of some Turkish sounds with electric guitar even and honestly, that makes sense.
I found it fascinating because after I saw this video I realised that those songs specifically as well as the genres that mainly use Phrygian mode are classics and very popular among Greek people!
Absolutely right... 🇬🇷
5:03 - best explanation of a mode that I've heard yet. Simple and straightforward!
Pyramid song is so sick. The tempo of it threw me for such a loop trying to learn it on piano.
Radiohead to be messing with everyone's brains tempowise. It's almost more surprising when they don't. 😅
He did a full video on why it sounds so off, despite being in 4/4: ruclips.net/video/m7GyQovrrDM/видео.html
I think that would be because the song is based on dotted quartets and there's an 8th note swing 🤔
Those tiny little pauses really took that simple melody and raised it to the next level.
Your videos are really well done. And didactically first class. There aren't many people who have that kind of talent. Unfortunately.
I definitely hear the Tame Impala song in C Phrygian, and it does have a somewhat dark sound to it. But I wonder if those people who hear it in Ab hear it in a lighter context. How would we know?
That’s a shower thought if I’ve ever heard one ☝🏼
They probably do since they're hearing it in a major key
from the short excerpt in this video I hear it in Ab major. It clearly does sound light and happy to me, like it resolves to the C as the third of the major scale, not the root of phrygian. But maybe if I listen to the whole song it might turn out differently.
i hear it in Ab and i'd say while it doesn't exactly sound cheery it does sound pretty light to me
I've played the bass line on the guitar and it starts with the diminished 2nd for C Phrygian, descending before finishing with the tonic note, so the way i see it structually fits that mode. Also it fails to hit the A tonic which makes the C Phrygian much more obvious too, seems interesting how some people see it the other way without a tonic note.
I can't stress enough how many new things i learnt from this channel. Thanks David
In Pink Floyd’s “Hey You” the intro starts with an Em and Dm vamp, therefore using that flatted second in the key of E minor. Though the song doesn’t really stick to Phrygian the whole time, that intro is a short example of some more cool Phrygian.
Oh my god i finally understand.!!! When if first heard i couldnt explain the feeling but it felt dark and now i know why
Except the melody goes 3-2 ("Hey you") rather than 3-b2. That plus the very first note of the song is the 9/sus2/F# or whatever you want to call it, making it minor.
If the second note of the scale were completely omitted throughout I could see an argument for it suggesting phrygian by going from Em to Dm but considering all throughout the Em bars there are F#s littered throughout, I'd argue very strongly against it being phrygian.
@@Stellarainn The darkness of Hey You definitely comes probably primarily from the relationship between Em and Dm, however I'd also suggest it comes from the "Hey You" finishing on the 2nd, having a feeling of suspense (though technically the vocals fall to the tonic/E quietly), along with the melody itself being restrained to the range of around a minor third. That plus the eerie production, the tone of the guitar etc. The piece isn't in E phrygian though.
Very good discussion of the phrygian mode. White rabbit always reminded me of the spanish flamenco song "Malagueña". Malagueña also combines phrygian with phrygian major. As you probably know the iconic guitar pattern starts with arpeggiated E major (E G# B E G# B) but melodically walks down as it resolves back using a G instead of G# ( A C B A G F E). I really love both of these songs. If you know Malagueña on piano I would love to hear it!
Your compositions are always so good. Your Phrygian work is wonderful.
Thanks Peter! 😀
I love your videos, but you forgot the song “This Is How We Do It”, which is in F Phrygian.
That’s a great demonstration of modes with contemporary music.
It will helps a lot in my teaching of modes by providing examples.
Thx!
New Person - just judging by that short clip, I hear it resolving on the C.
Agreed, it's C Phrygian
Sometimes I can hear it Laurel, but other times I hear Yanny
Agree. Me too I perceive C as the Tonic.
I agree. I hear C as the tonic.
Same
I think it's genius that "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" has this ambiguous 'major/minor' feel because the chorus has this contrast of optimism ('feel like a brand new person') and pessimism ('but you'll make the same old mistakes'). And these voices argue with each other
Another metal song that screams Phrygian is Nightwish's Slaying the Dreamer.
The intro to the track to Doom 1's E1M4 level also uses Phrygian. It starts with in F#m but in the 2nd bar there's a G5 chord.
I mean Doom is full of dark music.
Slaying the Dreamer is such a good song
“Doctor Who” uses the Phrygian mode. Both Ron Grainer’s theme tune and Murray Gold’s leitmotifs. Quite right too. It’s a perfect flavour for The Doctor and his Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey world. Your videos are ace. You’re a marvellous musician and a terrific teacher. Thank you.
Plenty of Tool songs are in phrygian / phrygian dominant: 46&2, Right in two, Culling voices, fragments from Vicarious etc
Which band and song is it? The way you wrote is confusing
Ok, you meant Coll songs
@andrea-mj9ce The band is called tool 46&2 is one of the songs.
That piece at the end was brilliant! Also, I felt the Tame Impala track was in C Phrygian - but that was from the small bit I heard in the video. Lovely video as always!
For 'pop' music that features Phrygian, I think I'm right in saying that in Eurovision 2021, both "Mata Hari" from Azerbaijan, and maybe also "The Moon is Rising" from Latvia both were written in Phrygian.
Yeah, I was going to say I was pretty sure I'd heard it in a few Eurovision entries in the last few years!
Yes Mata Hari switches between Phrygian and Aeolian. The verses are Aeolian, then it switches to Phrygian starting at "just like Cleopatra" through most of the chorus, then back to Aeolian at the end of the chorus for that one last "Mata Ha-a-ri". Now I want to learn it on piano... Such a badass song!
I've always thought New Person, Same Mistakes was in f minor! Interesting! But whatever it is, the key change to g# minor in the middle is amazing
Thank you. I have no idea how no one else was saying that. That’s what I hear for sure
No Beatles reference in a David Bennett video? I’m shocked lol
I guess they dont like frige Eon
Your composition is gorgeous. The most helpful section of this tutorial. Great stuff
I know that David usually doesn't cover classical music, but one of my favorite examples of Phrygian being used is in Brahms' fourth symphony. The second movement (especially the beginning and the end) use E major Phrygian to give the movement a bold, exotic, and noble feel.
Your phrygian outro piece is very nice, thanks for this video.
Was listening to all these metal songs and never knew they were in Phrygian. Thanks David!
That music at the end of the video is soo awesome. It is exactly the type of sound that makes me just stop, close my eyes and trip out for a while. Love it!
I love how you give many examples and compare different songs/scales/modes in the same video, so the concepts become much clear. and I think to be able to make these relations you've got to be an expert in the sense that you are comfortable to talk about all these possibilities (different scales, uses, contexts) without any hesitation. this is one of my favorite channels, the way you "mix" (music) theory and practice is wonderful.
To me, the upshot of this video was the explanation of what a mode is. No one has been able to explain it thus, treating a different note as a root. In this case the 3rd note of a major scale as the root. Now all of videos about modes make sense. Thank you so much.
As far as I know, 'Misirlou' refers to an Arab theme and perhaps imitates aspects of Arabic music. In Wikipedia it says that it's a song about an Egyptian girl. However it seems to have been first published in Athens in 1920 (I definitely read that somewhere) and I'm quite certain that it was composed by a Greek who, like many of his generation, had recently been expelled from Turkey during the 'ethnic cleansing' taking place there in the early part of the 20th century. The whole 'rebetiko' scene came about as a result of that and I've always thought of this song as being born out of that culture. We might not know definitively who composed it but I very much doubt that it was an Arab. I just thought I'd share that thought but I'm not an expert in these field. I loved this videos as indeed all of your videos. Great work!
Your channel has helped me so much! The way you explain everything so clear and calmly and all the visuals too! Love from Brazil 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
One of my favourite Phrygian moments is the Wherever I May Roam solo, where Kirk plays a Phrygian Dominant solo over the Phrygian main riff
'Meeting of the Spirits', the opening track from the Mahavishnu Orchestra's first album 'The Inner Mounting Flame' is a good example of a Phrygian mode piece (instrumental rather than song in this case) in the fusion genre. The explosive intro chord sequence gives way to the arpeggiated F# Phrygian riff that acts as a foundation for most of the rest of the track and band members' solos.
Awesome job making a very dark mode like Phrygian sound beautiful and melodic like your piece at the end!
"Does it feel cold in here to you?"
"Yes, it's absolutely phrygian."
👏
Close the dorian.
Should we locrian the dorian?
You always choose the most interesting topic and the best way to present it, thanks for great video!!
And your composition at the last was a perfect song to begin my rainy Friday :)
Thanks 😃😃
This video is full of gems 💎🙏🏽🎶
The examples where you show what it would sound like in minor instead of phygian helped so much
My personal favorite song in Phrygian is Montero! I love the Eb to E. It manages to be interesting while also being simple. Such a smart thing to have in a pop song
Edit: I NEVER REALIZED HUMBLE WAS IN PHRYGIAN 😂
ye
I hope you are sarcastic lol
Lalala by bbno$ uses Phrygian as well I believe. It would be D Phyrgian
Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but Arctic Monkey’s “Crying Lightning” main riff is in E Phrygian dominant
I love the double harmonic scale! I found it on a whim years ago and when looked the scale up I was so excited to find something on my own like that.
You could say that New Person, Same Old Mistakes, the ambiguity of the tonic is part of the concept of this song. The ambiguity of a person that thinks has changed but its still the same one committing the same old mistakes. I don't really know if it was intentional, but finding this sort of details is what makes music one of the best arts humanity has created.
A Pink Floyd example and then at 1:00 dark forebodings sounds, my head explodes!
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon!
Another way to detect a mode is by how often certain notes sound like tension notes in a given piece. Each mode has these tension notes in specific places, and in fact need these tension notes played in certain ways to help give them that flavor.
For that Tame Impala song, the Ab sounds like a tension note more often, so it sounds less like a root note candidate. C sounds more often like a release or resting note, so it's more likely to be a candidate for the root note.
I'm going with C Phrygian based mainly on this.
I agree with this take on the Tame Impala tune. I can't speak to the whole song, but in this excerpt, because the melody rests on the C, that sounds like the tonic of the mode.
Imagine if there were non-Phrygian pop songs in Phrygian. "The Man Who Sold the World" by David Bowie; "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Nancy Sinatra. I think that would be really cool.
I just tried playing The Man Who Sold The World in Phrygian and it sounded *so* wrong lmao
I mean the main riff to The Man Who Sold The World uses the b9 on the A chord, but yeah, I think that might sound cursed
If you frame A as the tonal center of Man Who Sold the World, it's basically A Phrygian but always replacing the A minor w/ A major.
Or you can call it D minor since that's where it ultimately resolves, but the ambiguity is still present. It is Bowie after all.
Bang Bang was originally written by Cher; Nancy Sinatra just did a cover.
@@thomasrinschler6783 , actually it was written by Sonny Bono for Cher to record.
Now I understand why I enjoyed certain songs on the radio as a kid and disliked others. I don't prefer songs for their lyrics or artist, just how they sound. The ones I actually liked were the ones in Phrygian mode. Looking through my music playlist, a lot of them are Phrygian (I think).
You really are the best music teacher on RUclips. You helped me clear things up about what sounds I like vs dislike and helped me with my own music writing. Thank you
"You're As Cold As Ice" is in the Fridgeian Mode.
wheeeyyoooo
What about “Phrygian In The Rhygian” by the Sex Pistols?
100% C phrygian. And yes, as many others have commented, this is one of the truly great music-related channels on RUclips...possibly even the best. Keep up the fine work, David. Cheers!
"It keeps the darkness of the minor scale, but it's somewhat darker"
Ah yes
The grimdark scale
nah locrian is grimdark
@@bigzube_8919 In the grim future of locrian there is only dissonance
The homestucks are inescapable
@@benbyrd4552 the term was coined in the late '80s after Warhammer 40000's slogan, "In the grim darkness of the 41st millennium, there is only war"
Homestuck merely popularized it outside the niche hobby of sci-fi wargaming
Ah yes
The vantablack scale
Oh my gosh I slept through music theory as a kid taking piano lessons, but I heard the most captivating wind chime and I could not rest until I recorded the notes, replicated the scale, and researched modes till I landed on Phrygian. Thank you for making it make more sense!
That's actually really cool!
Astounding! I'm totally nerding out on this right now!!!
Thank you David! I am learning that the chords are just as important as the melody as you paint the emotions in your song.
The KLF - What Time is Love?
UMF - Unbelievable (chorus)
Massive Attack - Angel
the first three songs that popped into my head
Mm also Inertia Creeps - Massive Attack.
Also Butterfly caught
9:58 BRO 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I couldn't be any proud . Happy to see one of our artists being featured on you channel David
Just got home from Illinois... Locked the front door. OH BOY! A NEW VID FROM DAVID!
Welcome home!
Did you find it outside your back door?
@@mukhisunil lol actually, I did. Sitting on my porch, at that.
Yer so cool, David. And wickedly brilliant. And great at explaining to the masses.
10:02 first time I‘ve heard of where the Chemical Brothers got the sample.
I'm a sucker for Phrygian and any of the other scales with minor seconds - I love how tense that flattened note makes them sound.
Hell, I've been working on an absolute banger of a song that's in _Locrian,_ of all things.
Personally, I think the downwards 2 to 1 resolution is very satisfying, particularly in Phrygian Dominant. I agree that an upwards resolution is more difficult.
Thanks for making this, I was hoping for a video about Phrygian since the one about Dorian.
"Uninvited" by Alanis Morrisette is in Phrygian Dominant. Really cool and haunting sound with the 4 piano notes in the background. And the use of tabla really gives that dark, exotic, mysterious vibes to the song.
The comment i was looking for..
Wow... I'm really new to music theory, and surprisingly, when I talked of all that I learned here with the musicians in my family they didn't know about it and actually learned something...
This is great lol
Thank you! I must have watched ten videos about modes and still didn’t get it. “Take a scale and treat a different note as the tonic” and it finally clicked for me. Thank you, I love your channel!
great video! I love phrygian, such a distinctive sounding scale.
One of the best lessons on modes and how they affect melody, thanks David!!!
Let's also not forgot one of the most famous uses of E Phrygian ever, the Doctor Who theme!
Rick and morty theme too
@@aquilesbailo4226 Rick and Who?
@@Music-tg5is cartoon. Rick & Morty
The Delian mode. Look up Delia Derbyshire, she wrote that theme tune, interesting lady.
@@Music-tg5is you need to remedy that
thanks to you i've been able to play that misirlou part by just going up and down the byanthian scale, super fun scale
I was thinking in the example that used D to set up the resolution to E that the natural set up would be to drop down from the flat 2 rather than rise from below. That's certainly how Gregorian chant tends to resolve Phyrgian.... so I was happy to see you doing precisely that in your piece at the end.
This is the best deep dive into Phrygian I’ve come across, and I love the exploration of tonal ambiguity. Hope you explore tonal ambiguity more in some later videos. Great work keep it up!
sound of muzak by Porcupine Tree has a fantastic chorus, and an iconic drum beat that even the drummer can't explain...
Thank you so much for these videos! I've been struggling with my mental health and even though I've studied music have been wanting with new ways to approach songwriting... these Mode explanation videos are a great refresher and great for songwriting inspiration!
David, I was hearing New Person, Same Old Mistakes in F minor. Just vibed with it.
Such a deep and useful understanding came from this video. Thanks from Las Vegas, I have no musical background other then I know what sounds good and what needs more production. This made a beginner like me able to know what Phrygian mode is and how it's used.
My favorite mode! :)
your profile picture is excellent!
That composition at the end, such a gorgeous chord prog
2:52 "MEGADETH, MEGADETH, AGUANTE MEGADETH"
Great video, ty for using the argentinian concert for megadeth ♡
lol I recognized the same chant
for someone who mentions megadeth four times in there comment you could spell it right maybe.
@@loganp82 not a big fan of them honestly, but that concert is iconic
@@loganp82 there u go
Part of what makes the lack of clarity of the tonal center so great in Tame Impala's "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" is the lyric's ambiguity: the speaker is having a conversation with himself, part of him optimistic about changing his bad habits, part of him pessimistic and predicting he won't change
I mean, I'm kinda surprised no-one mentioned Muse yet. United States of Eurasia and a section of Break it to Me were the first songs that came to mind
The "Jaws" theme is the example of Phrygian I always think of. The iconic two-note riff exploits that dark, intimidating feeling of the minor second interval.
Locrian
@@richardrichard5409
Yes, Locrian (from which we derive the half diminished chord).