Part 2/8:
Rick begins by establishing the foundational concept: the Phrygian mode is the third mode of the major scale. To make the explanation accessible, he uses the key of C major—comprising all white notes on the piano—which simplifies the process of identifying the scale and its characteristics. In the key of C major, the Phrygian scale starts on the note E, making it E Phrygian, derived from the notes of C major.
He plays the scale ascending from all the notes of C major, starting on E, highlighting the modal sound:
"E, what are the characteristic flavors of this mode? Well, the main way that this mode is differentiated from Locrian is that it has a natural fifth."