Intense Guitar - Toshi Iseda

The Phrygian Mode

Toshi Iseda, considered the #1 guitar instructor in the Midwest, is an Alumnus of the prestigious Berklee College of Music and the American Conservatory of Music. Toshi has been featured in Guitar Player, Guitar World and Guitar/Guitar One magazines. He is also currently an instructor at the National Guitar Workshop and former instructor at the American Institute of Guitar. Iseda is endorsed by/endorses 12 major musical manufactures and is a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (the GRAMMYS). He has shared the stage with such guitarist as Edward Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Mark Tremonti, Nuno Bettencourt, Tony MacAlpine and others. www.TOSHIISEDA.com

Hey folks, what's happening with ya this month! Well, whatever it is, thanks for taking the time to read "Intense Guitar." You'll recall that last month we went over and analyzed the Dorian mode (formula: 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7). With our ongoing saga called "The Diatonic Modes," we'll continue with the next mode in line: the Phrygian.

Phrygian is the third mode stemming from the Ionian mode (major scale). It starts on the third note/step/degree of the Ionian mode. For example, if we start our major scale on the note C, we'd start our Phrygian mode on--you guessed it--the E note. Our formula for the Phrygian mode is 1, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6 and b7 (8va). This would make the notes (keeping in the key of C major/E Phrygian) E, F, G, A, B, C and D. The whole and half-steps comprising the scale are H / W / W / W / H / W / W. In other words, by flatting the second, third, sixth and seventh steps of the major scale by a half-step, you have the Phrygian mode.

This is one of my favorite modes. I first heard it used by one of my favorite and most influential guitarists, Al DiMeola, on his solo record Casino. As it turned out, he also used it extensively on his first two solo records, Land of the Midnight Sun and Elegant Gypsy. And if you want to find out where Yngwie Malmsteen came from and what truly started the "shred" era of guitar, check out these three CDs. Really. It might not seem as fast as some of the guitarists that have emerged in recent years, but in my opinion this is where it all started. I also recommend checking out Friday Night in San Francisco with Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia. To this day, I haven't heard anyone match this kind of passion and technical ability--on acoustic guitars! Maybe the closest would be Strunz & Farah (also highly recommended). You should definitely make it a point to add these CDs to your collection. You'll find other rock-oriented guitarists like Joe Satriani and Kirk Hammett (Metallica), who at one time was a student of Satriani's, to Paul Gilbert and Jonathan Donais (Shadows Fall) using this mode.

This scale has a very "Latin" feel to it. If you play it over an E-minor chord, or an E-minor to F-major chord progression, you can really feel that tonality. Just for kicks, if you want to make it sound more "neo-classical," raise the third (i.e. a natural third). The formula for this would be 1, b2, 3, 4, 5, b6 and b7 (8va). The notes in the key of E would then be E, F, G#, A, B, C and D. This scale is known as the Phrygian dominant scale. It's widely recognized as the scale/mode that Yngwie Malmsteen brought into popularity, although other rock guitarists such as Uli Jon Roth used it before Yngwie. I'll have more on this scale in a later column.

In my usual fashion, I've included ten fingerings you can use in covering the fretboard with this tonality. Again, the first four fingerings start on each finger of the fretting hand. I cannot stress enough the importance of being able to start whichever tonality you desire from any finger. This removes any limitations that may result in only being able to play that sound or "color" in only one position.

Yes, I said "color." I often advise my students to look at any scale as a color so that they can "visualize" the tonality of the mode or scale. For example; Ionian = white, Dorian = brown, Phrygian = red, Lydian = green, Mixolydian = yellow, Aeolian = purple and Locrian = black. Notice how the modes/scales with minor thirds in them--such as Dorian, Phrygian, Aeolian and Locrian--are associated with darker colors. The modes/scales having a major third (Ionian, Lydian and Mixolydian) are associated with lighter shades of color. My students have said this is a dramatically better way of visualizing the modes. Try it. It might work you as well!

Fingering no. 5 is a great "shredder" fingering that's very conducive to pattern or sequence types of playing. It also gives your third finger a good workout! In pattern no. 6 we see a moderate position change that sets us up for a more dramatic one, as found in fingering no. 7. In this pattern we lead the position changes with our first finger. One you get this down, try leading with your pinkie. This can be quite tricky if you're not used to it. Remember: no limitations! Some of you may find these fingerings aren't physically possible on your instrument, depending what the make and model of your guitar is (I recommend Carvins :-)), so feel free to change to another key to practice and learn them.

Fingerings 8 through 10 start on the fifth string. Like our three note-per-string pattern in fingering no. 5, pattern no. 8 is conducive to fast playing as well.

Okay, here's something you can try. In pattern no. 9 we have a position change that leads off with the first finger, much like pattern no. 6. Try using the index and ring to change positions, like we did in the Andres Segovia fingering for the Ionian mode that we explored a few months back. Remember? If you don't, all we'd do is instead of using the finger pattern 1, 1, 2 and 4 to move about on the G string through the positions, we would use fingers 1, 3, 1 and 3 to execute the pattern. Understand? Hope so! Now, try it.

Finally, fingering no. 10 more takes us through multiple position changes. Again, start off by leading with your first finger (as written), then try leading with your pinkie.

Okay, that wraps it up for this month's installment of "Intense Guitar." If there's a particular subject you'd like me to cover or a specific question, feel free to contact me: Toshi@TOSHIISEDA.com or intseguitr@aol.com . So, until next month . . . "who dares wins"!