3 Famous Songs That Use the Phrygian Mode
The Song of the Week is "Elephant" from The Elephant Collection! This is a super cool song because it features a very unusual scale, the Phrygian scale. We are always trying to introduce young children to a wide variety of musical styles and tonalities at The Music Class, because it makes it much easier to understand these unusual sounds later on. Below are the top three most recognizable songs (according to an elder millennial) that feature the Phrygian Scale. If you are enrolled in The Music Class this spring, see if you can hear the similarities between these songs and "Elephant!"
First most recognizable example of a Phrygian scale: Jaws
The two notes played over and over again to create the scary, instantly recognizable theme song for Jaws are the first two notes of a Phrygian scale. The Jaws theme is so recognizable because it is so unusual! For our music people out there, this is a “semi-tone” or “minor-second” interval. This is the most distinctive feature of the Phrygian scale, the unusual interval between the first and second note.
Second most recognizable example of a Phrygian scale: Baby Got Back
Yes, Becky. That one. I included the instrumental version and video below, so it is safe to play if you are with your kids. Thank you to Ms. Anita from The Music Class East Bay in California for pointing this one out! 🤣🤣🤣
Third most recognizable example of a Phrygian scale: Lord of The Rings
If you start at the 40-second mark, you can hear that haunting and incredibly recognizable theme. Hobbits, Wizards, and Elves all agree that this Phrygian melody drives the Tolkien universe forward.
This brings us back to the most recognizable song from The Music Class with a Phrygian scale: "Elephant!"
Try using a piano or keyboard at home (this virtual one works great too) to play only the white keys from E to E. You’ve got yourself a Phrygian scale! Way to go! You’re teaching your kids something complex and unusual now so that it won’t be difficult for them to understand and recognize later! And when they’re old enough to watch Jaws (or listen to Baby Got Back), you can harken back to The Music Class days and the beginning of their Phrygian education with "Elephant." :)