C# Phrygian Guitar Scale — Baritone (B Standard)
Guitar scale in Baritone (B Standard) tuning — fretboard diagram
C# Phrygian in Baritone (B Standard) — Notes and Intervals
The C# Phrygian scale is the third mode of the major scale, defined by its immediate dark and tense character. On Guitar, its notes are C#, D, E, F#, G#, A, B. It has a strong Spanish or ethnic flavor, making it the definitive sound of Flamenco. In modern contexts, it is widely used in heavy metal to create an aggressive, brooding atmosphere. The diatonic chords of C# Phrygian are C#m7, DMaj7, E7, F#m7, G#m7b5, AMaj7, Bm7. Commonly used in Flamenco, Metal, Djent, Middle Eastern. Notable players include Al Di Meola, Metallica, Meshuggah, Paco de Lucia. Use over sus(b9), m7 chords in Phrygian contexts. Often played over a droning root note or power chord. The b2 → 1 resolution is the mode's signature move.
Notes: C#, D, E, F#, G#, A, B
Intervals: 1P, 2m, 3m, 4P, 5P, 6m, 7m
Degrees: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Formula: H-W-W-W-H-W-W
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Baritone (B Standard) (B-E-A-D-F#-B)
Diatonic Chords
C♯m7 — DMaj7 — E7 — F♯m7 — G♯m7♭5 — AMaj7 — Bm7
About Baritone (B Standard) Tuning
The baritone guitar is tuned a perfect fourth lower than standard guitar (B-E-A-D-F#-B), producing a distinctly beefy tone with serious low-end depth that sits perfectly between guitar and bass. Its rich, dark voice has made it a secret weapon in film scoring, ambient music, and moody songwriting where you need that unmistakable low-end warmth without losing clarity.
Unlike simply tuning a standard guitar down (which causes floppy strings and muddy tone), the baritone guitar uses a longer scale length (typically 27"-30") designed specifically for lower tunings. This gives each note clarity and definition even in the lowest register. Session musicians, film composers, and bedroom producers alike reach for the baritone when they need dark, atmospheric textures, doom-laden riffs, or simply a different sonic palette that standard guitar can't deliver.
Notable artists: Pat Metheny, Nels Cline, Brian Setzer, Baritone session players in Nashville
Best for: Moody songwriting, film scoring, ambient textures, doom metal, and any production that needs low-end depth with clarity
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- C# Phrygian in Standard Tuning
- C# Phrygian in Drop D
- C# Phrygian in DADGAD
- C# Phrygian in Open G
- C# Phrygian in 7-string
- C# Phrygian in 8-string
- C# Phrygian in Drop C
- C# Phrygian in Drop B
- C# Phrygian in Open D
- C# Phrygian in Half Step Down
- C# Phrygian in Open E
- C# Phrygian in Open A
- C# Phrygian in Double Drop D
- C# Phrygian in Open C