C Phrygian ♭4Scale

Formula

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

C Phrygian ♭4 on the chromatic circle

C 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 A♭I Harmonic major ♭7 B♭II Dorian ♭5 1 CIII Phrygian ♭4 ♭2 D♭IV Lydian ♭3 ♭3 E♭V Mixolydian ♭2 ♭4 F♭VI Lydian augmented ♯2 5 GVII Locrian 𝄫7 C Phrygian ♭4
The whole neck

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

Chords in C 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
iCm7C E♭ G B♭
♭iiD♭m(maj7)D♭ F♭ A♭ C
♭IIIE♭7E♭ G B♭ D♭
♭IV+F♭maj7♯5F♭ A♭ C E♭
v°G°7G B♭ D♭ F♭
♭VIA♭maj7A♭ C E♭ G
♭vii°B♭m7♭5B♭ D♭ F♭ A♭
Context

Where C Phrygian ♭4 fits

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

C 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

C Phrygian ♭4 scale questions

What notes are in the C Phrygian ♭4 scale?

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

What is the C 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 C Phrygian ♭4 scale on guitar?

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

What chords are in the C Phrygian ♭4 scale?

Cm7 (i), D♭m(maj7) (♭ii), E♭7 (♭III), F♭maj7♯5 (♭IV+), G°7 (v°), A♭maj7 (♭VI), B♭m7♭5 (♭vii°).

When is the C Phrygian ♭4 scale used?

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