B♭ PhrygianScale

Formula

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

B♭ Phrygian on the chromatic circle

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

B♭ 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 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 5 ♭6 ♭7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6
Harmony

Chords in B♭ 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
iB♭m7B♭ D♭ F A♭
♭IIC♭maj7C♭ E♭ G♭ B♭
♭IIID♭7D♭ F A♭ C♭
ivE♭m7E♭ G♭ B♭ D♭
v°Fm7♭5F A♭ C♭ E♭
♭VIG♭maj7G♭ B♭ D♭ F
♭viiA♭m7A♭ C♭ E♭ G♭
Context

Where B♭ 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.

B♭ 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

B♭ Phrygian scale questions

What notes are in the B♭ Phrygian scale?

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

What is the B♭ 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 B♭ Phrygian scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of B♭ 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 A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape to the C shape.

What chords are in the B♭ Phrygian scale?

B♭m7 (i), C♭maj7 (♭II), D♭7 (♭III), E♭m7 (iv), Fm7♭5 (v°), G♭maj7 (♭VI), A♭m7 (♭vii).

When is the B♭ 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.