A♭ Phrygian dominantScale

Formula

H 1½ H W H W W 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
The family

A♭ Phrygian dominant on the chromatic circle

A♭ Phrygian dominant is the 5th mode of the Harmonic minor family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W H W W H 1½ H 4 D♭I Harmonic minor 5 E♭II Locrian ♮6 ♭6 F♭III Ionian ♯5 ♭7 G♭IV Dorian ♯4 1 A♭V Phrygian dominant ♭2 B𝄫VI Lydian ♯2 3 CVII Altered 𝄫7 A♭ Phrygian dominant
The whole neck

A♭ Phrygian dominant 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 dominant

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♭7A♭ C E♭ G♭
♭IIB𝄫maj7B𝄫 D♭ F♭ A♭
iii°C°7C E♭ G♭ B𝄫
ivD♭m(maj7)D♭ F♭ A♭ C
v°E♭m7♭5E♭ G♭ B𝄫 D♭
♭VI+F♭maj7♯5F♭ A♭ C E♭
♭viiG♭m7G♭ B𝄫 D♭ F♭
Context

Where A♭ Phrygian dominant fits

Flamenco, Middle-Eastern music, klezmer and metal. Over the V7 of a minor key, or as a home sound over a major chord with a ♭9.

A♭ Phrygian dominant is mode 5 of the harmonic minor 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 dominant scale in every key

A♭ Phrygian dominant scale questions

What notes are in the A♭ Phrygian dominant 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 dominant scale formula?

1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, or in steps between the notes, H 1½ H 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 dominant scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of A♭ Phrygian dominant 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 dominant scale?

A♭7 (I), B𝄫maj7 (♭II), C°7 (iii°), D♭m(maj7) (iv), E♭m7♭5 (v°), F♭maj7♯5 (♭VI+), G♭m7 (♭vii).

When is the A♭ Phrygian dominant scale used?

Flamenco, Middle-Eastern music, klezmer and metal. Over the V7 of a minor key, or as a home sound over a major chord with a ♭9.