E Phrygian Dominant
The flamenco scale, and the one metal borrowed.
Phrygian dominant is the fifth mode of harmonic minor. In E it is the single most recognisable 'Spanish' sound on the guitar, and it happens to sit perfectly under the open strings.
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Phrygian, with a major third
E Phrygian dominant is E F G# A B C D. It has Phrygian's ♭2 (F) but a major 3rd (G#) instead of a minor one. That contradiction — dark 2nd, bright 3rd — is the whole sound.
- The ♭2 (F) is the Phrygian half-step above the root.
- The major 3 (G#) is what makes it dominant, not minor.
- F to G# is an augmented 2nd — the exotic gap.
The fifth mode of harmonic minor
Play A harmonic minor starting from E and these are the notes. That is why it fits over an E7 chord in an A minor key: it is the scale of the V chord, viewed from the V.
- E Phrygian dominant = A harmonic minor from E.
- It is the scale for the V7 chord in a minor key.
- Same notes, different home — like every mode.
The Andalusian cadence
The context is Am–G–F–E, the Andalusian cadence. When that progression lands on the E chord, this is the scale. Sit on the E, lean on the F, and the flamenco sound is unavoidable.
- Am–G–F–E is the progression that produces it.
- Play it over the final E chord specifically.
- Over a static E pedal it is the metal version of the same idea.
A flat 2nd and a major 3rd in the same scale should not work. It is the reason flamenco sounds like flamenco.
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