Guitar scale · Spanish Phrygian
Bb Phrygian Dominant Scale
5th mode of Harmonic Minor. Mesmerizing oriental and flamenco solos for rock and metal.
Tap any note to hear it.
Bb Phrygian Dominant Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-------------------------------6-7-10-| B|---------------------------7-9--------| G|--------------------7-8-10------------| D|--------------6-8-9-------------------| A|--------6-8-9-------------------------| E|-6-7-10-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------10-11-| B|-----------------------------9-11-12-------| G|---------------------8-10-11---------------| D|--------------8-9-12-----------------------| A|-------8-9-11------------------------------| E|-10-11-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-12-------------| G|----------------------------10-11-13-------------------| D|----------------------12-13----------------------------| A|-------------11-13-14----------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-| B|-------------------------------------15-16----------| G|----------------------------13-15-16----------------| D|-------------------13-15-16-------------------------| A|----------13-14-17----------------------------------| E|-13-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-18-19-| B|----------------------------------16-18-19----------| G|-------------------------15-16-19-------------------| D|----------------15-16-18----------------------------| A|----------17-18-------------------------------------| E|-16-18-19-------------------------------------------|
How to play Bb Phrygian Dominant on guitar
Find the root first: Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Bb on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 6–10. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bb |
| ♭2 | Cb |
| 3 | D |
| 4 | Eb |
| 5 | F |
| ♭6 | Gb |
| ♭7 | Ab |
Chords in Bb Phrygian Dominant
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Bb Phrygian Dominant; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Bb | Bb7 | Tonic |
| ♭II | Cb | Cbmaj7 | Supertonic |
| iii° | Ddim | Ddim7 | Mediant |
| iv | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| v° | Fdim | Fm7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Abm | Abm7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Bb Phrygian Dominant Scale?
- The Bb Phrygian Dominant Scale has 7 notes: Bb, Cb, D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab.
- What chords are in the Bb Phrygian Dominant Scale?
- The chords of Bb Phrygian Dominant are Bb (I), Cb (♭II), Ddim (iii°), Ebm (iv), Fdim (v°), Gbaug (♭VI+), Abm (♭vii).
- What is the formula of the phrygian dominant scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W+H H W H W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Bb Phrygian Dominant on the guitar?
- The root Bb is at fret 6 on the low E string and fret 1 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 6–10, and four more positions connect it up the neck.