Phrygian Dominant scale · 7 notes
B♭ Phrygian dominant scale on guitar
The B♭ Phrygian dominant scale (B flat Phrygian dominant scale) has 7 notes: B♭, C♭, D, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭. Phrygian with a major 3rd: the flamenco and Middle-Eastern sound, and a metal staple. You may also see it written as A♯ Phrygian dominant, but B♭ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- B♭
- C♭
- D
- E♭
- F
- G♭
- A♭
Formula
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps
H – W+H – H – W – H – W – W
Sound
Exotic, Spanish and Middle-Eastern
B♭ Phrygian dominant on the whole fretboard
Every B♭ Phrygian dominant note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, B♭, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
B♭ at fret 6. 5th position: frets 5–9.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of B♭ Phrygian dominant as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from B♭, the B♭ Phrygian dominant scale is built from these intervals. It contains 5 flats (B♭, C♭, E♭, G♭ and A♭). Compared with A♯ Phrygian, it has D (3) instead of C♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | root | 0 |
| ♭2 | C♭ | minor 2nd | 1 |
| 3 | D | major 3rd | 4 |
| 4 | E♭ | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | F | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭6 | G♭ | minor 6th | 8 |
| ♭7 | A♭ | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords in B♭ Phrygian dominant
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to B♭ Phrygian dominant: any of them will sound at home under a melody in B♭ Phrygian dominant.
- IB♭B♭ · D · FB♭7
- ♭IIC♭C♭ · E♭ · G♭C♭maj7
- iii°D°D · F · A♭D°7
- ivE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭E♭m(maj7)
- v°F°F · A♭ · C♭Fm7♭5
- ♭VI+G♭+G♭ · B♭ · DG♭+maj7
- ♭viiA♭mA♭ · C♭ · E♭A♭m7
Progressions to try
- B♭ – C♭ I–♭II · flamenco vamp
- B♭ – A♭m – C♭ – B♭ I–♭vii–♭II–I
How to use B♭ Phrygian dominant
Reach for it over the V7 chord of a minor key, flamenco, metal and Middle-Eastern-flavoured melodies. Its sound is exotic, Spanish and Middle-Eastern.
Tip: Over the V7 in a minor key (E7 in A minor), E Phrygian dominant uses exactly the notes of A harmonic minor.
- B♭ Phrygian dominant is the fifth mode of E♭ harmonic minor: the same seven notes, starting from B♭. See E♭ harmonic minor.
Where to find B♭ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every B♭ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with B♭ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 6 |
| B (2nd) | 11 |
| G (3rd) | 3 |
| D (4th) | 8 |
| A (5th) | 1 |
| Low E (6th) | 6 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as B♭ Phrygian dominant. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
B♭ Phrygian dominant scale FAQ
What notes are in the B♭ Phrygian dominant scale?
The B♭ Phrygian dominant scale has 7 notes: B♭, C♭, D, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭. Its formula is 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. It contains 5 flats (B♭, C♭, E♭, G♭ and A♭).
What chords are in B♭ Phrygian dominant?
Harmonising the B♭ Phrygian dominant scale in thirds gives B♭ (I), C♭ (♭II), D° (iii°), E♭m (iv), F° (v°), G♭+ (♭VI+) and A♭m (♭vii).
Where do you play the B♭ Phrygian dominant scale on guitar?
The root, B♭, is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 5–9, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as B♭ Phrygian dominant?
B♭ Phrygian dominant is the fifth mode of E♭ harmonic minor: the same seven notes, starting from B♭.