B♭ Phrygian dominant scale on guitar
The B♭ Phrygian dominant scale has seven notes: B♭, C♭, D, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭ (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 | B♭ | C♭ | D | E♭ | F | G♭ | A♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 B♭ 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; B♭ (B♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (B♭) | B♭home | B♭7home |
| ♭2 (C♭) | C♭colour | C♭maj7colour |
| 3 (D) | Ddimthe edge | – |
| 4 (E♭) | E♭mthe ache | – |
| 5 (F) | Fdimthe edge | Fm7♭5the edge |
| ♭6 (G♭) | G♭augcinematic | – |
| ♭7 (A♭) | A♭msoft fall | A♭m7soft fall |
Scales with the same notes
It has the same notes as the E♭ harmonic minor scale, started from its fifth note, B♭.
Questions
What notes are in the B♭ Phrygian dominant scale?
B♭, C♭, D, E♭, F, G♭ and A♭. 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 B♭ Phrygian dominant scale?
The chords made only of its notes: B♭, C♭, Ddim, E♭m, Fdim, G♭aug and A♭m, and as seventh chords B♭7, C♭maj7, Fm7♭5 and A♭m7. B♭ is home: B♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The Phrygian dominant scale in every key
Other scales in B♭
B♭ majorB♭ minorB♭ minor pentatonicB♭ major pentatonicB♭ bluesB♭ DorianB♭ MixolydianB♭ LydianB♭ PhrygianB♭ harmonic minorB♭ 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.