Phrygian Vamp i-bII-i-bII
Piano sound loads on first tap. Resolved in the key of C — every chord links to its full analysis.
The darkest of the modal loops. A minor tonic (i) alternates with a MAJOR chord on the lowered second degree (bII). That half-step above the tonic is the signature of the Phrygian mode, giving the vamp its brooding, flamenco / metal colour.
What each degree does
Home, but in shadow — the minor tonic. The same rest as I, coloured dark and melancholic.
The Neapolitan — a major chord on the LOWERED 2nd degree, a chromatic predominant of dark, 'Spanish' (Phrygian) colour. It falls toward the dominant with dramatic weight.
Home, but in shadow — the minor tonic. The same rest as I, coloured dark and melancholic.
The Neapolitan — a major chord on the LOWERED 2nd degree, a chromatic predominant of dark, 'Spanish' (Phrygian) colour. It falls toward the dominant with dramatic weight.