D Phrygian ♭4Scale

Formula

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

D Phrygian ♭4 on the chromatic circle

D 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 B♭I Harmonic major ♭7 CII Dorian ♭5 1 DIII Phrygian ♭4 ♭2 E♭IV Lydian ♭3 ♭3 FV Mixolydian ♭2 ♭4 G♭VI Lydian augmented ♯2 5 AVII Locrian 𝄫7 D Phrygian ♭4
The whole neck

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

Chords in D 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
iDm7D F A C
♭iiE♭m(maj7)E♭ G♭ B♭ D
♭IIIF7F A C E♭
♭IV+G♭maj7♯5G♭ B♭ D F
v°A°7A C E♭ G♭
♭VIB♭maj7B♭ D F A
♭vii°Cm7♭5C E♭ G♭ B♭
Context

Where D Phrygian ♭4 fits

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

D 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

D Phrygian ♭4 scale questions

What notes are in the D Phrygian ♭4 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 ♭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 D Phrygian ♭4 scale on guitar?

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

Dm7 (i), E♭m(maj7) (♭ii), F7 (♭III), G♭maj7♯5 (♭IV+), A°7 (v°), B♭maj7 (♭VI), Cm7♭5 (♭vii°).

When is the D Phrygian ♭4 scale used?

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