D♭ Phrygian dominantScale

Formula

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

D♭ Phrygian dominant on the chromatic circle

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

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

Chords in D♭ 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
ID♭7D♭ F A♭ C♭
♭IIE𝄫maj7E𝄫 G♭ B𝄫 D♭
iii°F°7F A♭ C♭ E𝄫
ivG♭m(maj7)G♭ B𝄫 D♭ F
v°A♭m7♭5A♭ C♭ E𝄫 G♭
♭VI+B𝄫maj7♯5B𝄫 D♭ F A♭
♭viiC♭m7C♭ E𝄫 G♭ B𝄫
Context

Where D♭ 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.

D♭ 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

D♭ Phrygian dominant scale questions

What notes are in the D♭ Phrygian dominant scale?

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

What is the D♭ 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 D♭ Phrygian dominant scale on guitar?

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

What chords are in the D♭ Phrygian dominant scale?

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

When is the D♭ 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.