A♭ PhrygianScale

Formula

H W W W H W W 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
The family

A♭ Phrygian on the chromatic circle

A♭ Phrygian is the 3rd mode of the Major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W W H W W W H ♭6 F♭I Ionian ♭7 G♭II Dorian 1 A♭III Phrygian ♭2 B𝄫IV Lydian ♭3 C♭V Mixolydian 4 D♭VI Aeolian 5 E♭VII Locrian A♭ Phrygian
The whole neck

A♭ Phrygian across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Harmony

Chords in A♭ Phrygian

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
iA♭m7A♭ C♭ E♭ G♭
♭IIB𝄫maj7B𝄫 D♭ F♭ A♭
♭IIIC♭7C♭ E♭ G♭ B𝄫
ivD♭m7D♭ F♭ A♭ C♭
v°E♭m7♭5E♭ G♭ B𝄫 D♭
♭VIF♭maj7F♭ A♭ C♭ E♭
♭viiG♭m7G♭ B𝄫 D♭ F♭
Context

Where A♭ Phrygian fits

Dark minor with a ♭2: metal riffs, Spanish-flavoured music and modal jazz. Over a minor chord when the ♭2 is meant to be heard.

A♭ Phrygian is mode 3 of the major family. The same notes played from each of its other degrees give the family's other modes:

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Phrygian scale in every key

A♭ Phrygian scale questions

What notes are in the A♭ Phrygian scale?

A♭ B𝄫 C♭ D♭ E♭ F♭ G♭. As degrees from the root: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.

What is the A♭ Phrygian scale formula?

1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, or in steps between the notes, H W W W H W W (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the A♭ Phrygian scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of A♭ Phrygian up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape to the A shape.

What chords are in the A♭ Phrygian scale?

A♭m7 (i), B𝄫maj7 (♭II), C♭7 (♭III), D♭m7 (iv), E♭m7♭5 (v°), F♭maj7 (♭VI), G♭m7 (♭vii).

When is the A♭ Phrygian scale used?

Dark minor with a ♭2: metal riffs, Spanish-flavoured music and modal jazz. Over a minor chord when the ♭2 is meant to be heard.