The Composer's Life

Composing with Modes: Phrygian

Nadia

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0:00 | 23:18

Phrygian has a very immediate sound — it doesn’t take long to recognize it once you hear that first half-step. There’s a tension built into it that feels unstable in a very specific way, which can produce incredibly unique sounding music.

In this episode of The Composer’s Life, I continue the modes series by looking at Phrygian and how that distinctive flattened second changes the direction of musical ideas when you start composing with it.

This is the third of a seven part series where I break down each musical mode so you can use in your own composing.

To get more help with the concept, here's an article that contains music examples, video explanations, and a pdf with all the Phrygian scales:

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