D♭ Phrygian dominant scale on guitar
The D♭ Phrygian dominant scale has seven notes: D♭, E𝄫, F, G♭, A♭, B𝄫 and C♭ (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 | D♭ | E𝄫 | F | G♭ | A♭ | B𝄫 | C♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 D♭ 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; D♭ (D♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (D♭) | D♭home | D♭7home |
| ♭2 (E𝄫) | E♭♭colour | E♭♭maj7colour |
| 3 (F) | Fdimthe edge | – |
| 4 (G♭) | G♭mthe ache | – |
| 5 (A♭) | A♭dimthe edge | A♭m7♭5the edge |
| ♭6 (B𝄫) | B♭♭augcinematic | – |
| ♭7 (C♭) | C♭msoft fall | C♭m7soft fall |
Scales with the same notes
It has the same notes as the F♯ harmonic minor scale, started from its fifth note, D♭.
Questions
What notes are in the D♭ Phrygian dominant scale?
D♭, E𝄫, F, G♭, A♭, B𝄫 and C♭. 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 D♭ Phrygian dominant scale?
The chords made only of its notes: D♭, E♭♭, Fdim, G♭m, A♭dim, B♭♭aug and C♭m, and as seventh chords D♭7, E♭♭maj7, A♭m7♭5 and C♭m7. D♭ is home: D♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
The Phrygian dominant scale in every key
Other scales in D♭
D♭ majorC♯ minorC♯ minor pentatonicD♭ major pentatonicC♯ bluesC♯ DorianD♭ MixolydianD♭ LydianC♯ PhrygianC♯ harmonic minorC♯ 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.