Phrygian Dominant scale · 7 notes
E♭ Phrygian dominant scale on guitar
The E♭ Phrygian dominant scale (E flat Phrygian dominant scale) has 7 notes: E♭, F♭, G, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D♭. Phrygian with a major 3rd: the flamenco and Middle-Eastern sound, and a metal staple. You may also see it written as D♯ Phrygian dominant.
Notes
- E♭
- F♭
- G
- A♭
- B♭
- C♭
- D♭
Formula
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps
H – W+H – H – W – H – W – W
Sound
Exotic, Spanish and Middle-Eastern
E♭ Phrygian dominant on the whole fretboard
Every E♭ Phrygian dominant note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, E♭, 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
E♭ at fret 11. 10th position: frets 10–14.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of E♭ Phrygian dominant as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from E♭, the E♭ Phrygian dominant scale is built from these intervals. It contains 6 flats (E♭, F♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D♭). Compared with D♯ Phrygian, it has G (3) instead of F♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E♭ | root | 0 |
| ♭2 | F♭ | minor 2nd | 1 |
| 3 | G | major 3rd | 4 |
| 4 | A♭ | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | B♭ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭6 | C♭ | minor 6th | 8 |
| ♭7 | D♭ | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords in E♭ Phrygian dominant
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to E♭ Phrygian dominant: any of them will sound at home under a melody in E♭ Phrygian dominant.
- IE♭E♭ · G · B♭E♭7
- ♭IIF♭F♭ · A♭ · C♭F♭maj7
- iii°G°G · B♭ · D♭G°7
- ivA♭mA♭ · C♭ · E♭A♭m(maj7)
- v°B♭°B♭ · D♭ · F♭B♭m7♭5
- ♭VI+C♭+C♭ · E♭ · GC♭+maj7
- ♭viiD♭mD♭ · F♭ · A♭D♭m7
Progressions to try
- E♭ – F♭ I–♭II · flamenco vamp
- E♭ – D♭m – F♭ – E♭ I–♭vii–♭II–I
How to use E♭ 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.
- E♭ Phrygian dominant is the fifth mode of A♭ harmonic minor: the same seven notes, starting from E♭. See A♭ harmonic minor.
Where to find E♭ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every E♭ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with E♭ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 11 |
| B (2nd) | 4 |
| G (3rd) | 8 |
| D (4th) | 1 |
| A (5th) | 6 |
| Low E (6th) | 11 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as E♭ Phrygian dominant. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
E♭ Phrygian dominant scale FAQ
What notes are in the E♭ Phrygian dominant scale?
The E♭ Phrygian dominant scale has 7 notes: E♭, F♭, G, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D♭. Its formula is 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. It contains 6 flats (E♭, F♭, A♭, B♭, C♭ and D♭).
What chords are in E♭ Phrygian dominant?
Harmonising the E♭ Phrygian dominant scale in thirds gives E♭ (I), F♭ (♭II), G° (iii°), A♭m (iv), B♭° (v°), C♭+ (♭VI+) and D♭m (♭vii).
Where do you play the E♭ Phrygian dominant scale on guitar?
The root, E♭, is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 10–14, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as E♭ Phrygian dominant?
E♭ Phrygian dominant is the fifth mode of A♭ harmonic minor: the same seven notes, starting from E♭.