Flamenco · Intermediate · minor key

Phrygian climb i–♭II–♭III–♭II

i – ♭II – ♭III – ♭II — A flamenco-style figure climbing and falling around the tonic.

Chord shapes in B minor (standard tuning)

Using a different tuning? Open it in the Looper — it finds playable shapes for whatever tuning you choose.

How the chords work

Written in Roman numerals, this progression is i – ♭II – ♭III – ♭II — in A minor that is Am – Bb – C – Bb. Each numeral is a step of the scale; upper case is a major chord, lower case minor.

• i — the minor home chord.
• ♭II — a major chord a half step above home: exotic and tense.
• ♭III — a major chord borrowed from the minor key (the relative major in a minor key).

Phrygian climb i–♭II–♭III–♭II in all 12 keys

Practice ideas

• Beginners: play one strum per chord and say the chord names out loud, then two strums, then a steady down-down-up-up-down-up pattern.
• Change keys with a capo: keep the B minor shapes and move a capo up — the capo calculator shows which fret gives the key you want.
• Solo over it: loop it in the Looper and improvise with the B minor pentatonic or B natural minor or B blues scale — the scale pages show every position and play a backing track.
• Train your ear: the progression ear trainer mixes this with similar progressions until you can tell them apart.

Similar progressions

• Flamenco cadence (iv–♭III–♭II–I) iv – ♭III – ♭II – I
• i–♭III–♭VI–V7 i – ♭III – ♭VI – V7
• "House of the Rising Sun" progression i – ♭III – IV – ♭VI – i – ♭III – V – V
• Minor circle of fifths i – iv – ♭VII – ♭III – ♭VI – ii° – V – i
• Phrygian i–♭II–♭VII–i i – ♭II – ♭VII – i
• i–♭III–♭VII–IV i – ♭III – ♭VII – IV

← Phrygian i–♭II–♭VII–i · Flamenco cadence (iv–♭III–♭II–I) →

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