Phrygian dominant scale on guitar
The Phrygian dominant scale has the formula R b2 3 4 5 b6 b7. In E its notes are E F G# A B C D. Below you see it on the whole neck, its seven positions one by one and the chords it makes, in standard tuning or in Drop D, Drop C, Drop B and DADGAD. Check out all 13 guitar scales.
Position
- 1: frets 0 to 5, 12 to 17
- 2: frets 1 to 7, 13 to 19
- 3: frets 3 to 9, 15 to 21
- 4: frets 5 to 10, 17 to 22
- 5: frets 7 to 12
- 6: frets 8 to 13
- 7: frets 10 to 16
E Phrygian Dominant
E Phrygian Dominant is E Phrygian with the b3 raised by a half step.
Phrygian Dominant: degrees R b2 3 4 5 b6 b7, notes E F G# A B C D. Phrygian: degrees R b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7, notes E F G A B C D.
Same notes
Chords
Notes and formula of the Phrygian dominant scale
Degrees: R b2 3 4 5 b6 b7. Notes: E F G# A B C D.
Its formula is R b2 3 4 5 b6 b7, the same in every key: learn it once and you can build the Phrygian dominant scale on any root. Players often use it for metal, flamenco and Middle Eastern music.
A root on a black key goes by one name here: C# Phrygian dominant, never Db Phrygian dominant. To find each note on the neck on its own, see every note on the fretboard.
How the Phrygian dominant scale differs from E Phrygian
E Phrygian Dominant is E Phrygian with the b3 raised by a half step.
Phrygian Dominant: degrees R b2 3 4 5 b6 b7, notes E F G# A B C D. Phrygian: degrees R b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7, notes E F G A B C D.
G# is the note that makes the difference; on the neck above it wears a ring.
Phrygian dominant scale positions on the neck
Nobody learns the whole neck at once. The Phrygian dominant scale comes in seven boxes with three notes on each string: position 1 starts on your low string with the root, E at fret 0, and each next box starts on the next note of the scale.
Learn one box, then the next, and play across both: together they cover the neck. Where the neck has room, a box comes back twelve frets higher. These are three-notes-per-string shapes, not CAGED.
Position 1, frets 0 to 5
Position 2, frets 1 to 7
Position 3, frets 3 to 9
Position 4, frets 5 to 10
Position 5, frets 7 to 12
Position 6, frets 8 to 13
Position 7, frets 10 to 16
Chords of the Phrygian dominant scale
In E, these are the chords that live in the Phrygian dominant scale: a triad and a seventh chord on each note of the scale, so you know what to play under your solo.
Click a chord to see how to play it.
Scales with the same notes as the Phrygian dominant scale
Same notes, same frets, another home note: know the Phrygian dominant scale on the neck and you already have these under your fingers.
The Phrygian dominant scale in every key
Your song is in F#? Find its row: the notes of the Phrygian dominant scale in that key, and the fret where your first box starts. Click the key and the neck at the top jumps there.
| Key | Notes | Position 1 from fret |
|---|---|---|
| C Phrygian dominant scale | C Db E F G Ab Bb | 8 |
| C# Phrygian dominant scale | C# D F F# G# A B | 9 |
| D Phrygian dominant scale | D Eb F# G A Bb C | 10 |
| D# Phrygian dominant scale | D# E G G# A# B C# | 11 |
| E Phrygian dominant scaleon this page | E F G# A B C D | 0 |
| F Phrygian dominant scale | F Gb A Bb C Db Eb | 1 |
| F# Phrygian dominant scale | F# G A# B C# D E | 2 |
| G Phrygian dominant scale | G Ab B C D Eb F | 3 |
| G# Phrygian dominant scale | G# A C C# D# E F# | 4 |
| A Phrygian dominant scale | A Bb C# D E F G | 5 |
| Bb Phrygian dominant scale | Bb B D Eb F Gb Ab | 6 |
| B Phrygian dominant scale | B C D# E F# G A | 7 |
The Phrygian dominant scale in Drop D, Drop C, Drop B and DADGAD
Tune down and the Phrygian dominant scale stays the same scale, it just sits on other frets. In Drop D only your low string changes, so every shape on the other five strings stays put. Drop C and Drop B take every string down, so the whole scale shifts, and DADGAD lowers three strings. Here is where its root E sits on the low string in each.
| Tuning | E on the low string |
|---|---|
| Standard | frets 0 and 12 |
| Drop D | frets 2 and 14 |
| Drop C | frets 4 and 16 |
| Drop B | frets 5 and 17 |
| DADGAD | frets 2 and 14 |
In the app
Practice the Phrygian dominant scale
Knowing a position is half the job. Turn it into an exercise in the free TabTunix app, play it to a click that speeds up step by step, rate each go, and see on your chart how close you are to your target tempo.
More on how to get a scale under your fingers in how to practice scales, and every other scale under guitar scales.
Questions about the Phrygian dominant scale
You know which lick it is. Go get it up to tempo. Free, for Mac and Windows.
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