B Phrygian ♭4Scale

Formula

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

B Phrygian ♭4 on the chromatic circle

B Phrygian ♭4 is the 3rd mode of the Harmonic major family. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

W W H W H 1½ H ♭6 GI Harmonic major ♭7 AII Dorian ♭5 1 BIII Phrygian ♭4 ♭2 CIV Lydian ♭3 ♭3 DV Mixolydian ♭2 ♭4 E♭VI Lydian augmented ♯2 5 F♯VII Locrian 𝄫7 B Phrygian ♭4
The whole neck

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

Chords in B Phrygian ♭4

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

DegreeChordNotes
iBm7B D F♯ A
♭iiCm(maj7)C E♭ G B
♭IIID7D F♯ A C
♭IV+E♭maj7♯5E♭ G B D
v°F♯°7F♯ A C E♭
♭VIGmaj7G B D F♯
♭vii°Am7♭5A C E♭ G
Context

Where B Phrygian ♭4 fits

Over a dominant 7♯9 chord in modern jazz and fusion: a rare colour.

B Phrygian ♭4 is mode 3 of the harmonic 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 ♭4 scale in every key

B Phrygian ♭4 scale questions

What notes are in the B Phrygian ♭4 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 ♭4 scale formula?

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

This page draws every note of B Phrygian ♭4 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 ♭4 scale?

Bm7 (i), Cm(maj7) (♭ii), D7 (♭III), E♭maj7♯5 (♭IV+), F♯°7 (v°), Gmaj7 (♭VI), Am7♭5 (♭vii°).

When is the B Phrygian ♭4 scale used?

Over a dominant 7♯9 chord in modern jazz and fusion: a rare colour.