A♭ Phrygian dominant scale on guitar
The A♭ Phrygian dominant scale has seven notes: A♭, B𝄫, C, D♭, E♭, F♭ and G♭ (1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7). The fifth mode of harmonic minor: a flat 2nd with a major 3rd. The flamenco, Middle Eastern and metal sound; play it over the V7 chord of a minor key, such as E7 in A minor.
| Note | A♭ | B𝄫 | C | D♭ | E♭ | F♭ | G♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | ♭2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ♭6 | ♭7 |
| Step to the next | half | 1½ | half | whole | half | whole | whole |
5 positions to learn it in
On guitar a seven-note scale is learnt in five shapes, each built round one of the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Together they cover the neck. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the A♭ Phrygian dominant scale
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; A♭ (A♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (A♭) | A♭home | A♭7home |
| ♭2 (B𝄫) | B♭♭colour | B♭♭maj7colour |
| 3 (C) | Cdimthe edge | – |
| 4 (D♭) | D♭mthe ache | – |
| 5 (E♭) | E♭dimthe edge | E♭m7♭5the edge |
| ♭6 (F♭) | F♭augcinematic | – |
| ♭7 (G♭) | G♭msoft fall | G♭m7soft fall |
Scales with the same notes
It has the same notes as the C♯ harmonic minor scale, started from its fifth note, A♭.
Questions
What notes are in the A♭ Phrygian dominant scale?
A♭, B𝄫, C, D♭, E♭, F♭ and G♭. Its intervals from the root are 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, and the steps between its notes are H W+H H W H W W (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the A♭ Phrygian dominant scale?
The chords made only of its notes: A♭, B♭♭, Cdim, D♭m, E♭dim, F♭aug and G♭m, and as seventh chords A♭7, B♭♭maj7, E♭m7♭5 and G♭m7. A♭ is home: A♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The Phrygian dominant scale in every key
Other scales in A♭
A♭ majorG♯ minorG♯ minor pentatonicA♭ major pentatonicG♯ bluesG♯ DorianA♭ MixolydianA♭ LydianG♯ PhrygianG♯ harmonic minorG♯ melodic minor
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: guitar scales. This scale on bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo.