Guitar scale · Spanish Phrygian
C# Phrygian Dominant Scale
5th mode of Harmonic Minor. Mesmerizing oriental and flamenco solos for rock and metal.
Tap any note to hear it.
C# 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|----------------------------------------9-10-13-| B|----------------------------------10-12---------| G|-------------------------10-11-13---------------| D|-----------------9-11-12------------------------| A|---------9-11-12--------------------------------| E|-9-10-13----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-| B|----------------------------------12-14-15-------| G|-------------------------11-13-14----------------| D|----------------11-12-15-------------------------| A|-------11-12-14----------------------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------14-15-------------| G|----------------------------13-14-16-------------------| D|----------------------15-16----------------------------| A|-------------14-16-17----------------------------------| E|-13-14-16-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------16-17-19-| B|-------------------------------------18-19----------| G|----------------------------16-18-19----------------| D|-------------------16-18-19-------------------------| A|----------16-17-20----------------------------------| E|-16-17-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-21-22-| B|----------------------------------19-21-22----------| G|-------------------------18-19-22-------------------| D|----------------18-19-21----------------------------| A|----------20-21-------------------------------------| E|-19-21-22-------------------------------------------|
How to play C# Phrygian Dominant on guitar
Find the root first: C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C# 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 9–13. 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 | C# |
| ♭2 | D |
| 3 | E# |
| 4 | F# |
| 5 | G# |
| ♭6 | A |
| ♭7 | B |
Chords in C# Phrygian Dominant
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C# Phrygian Dominant; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | C# | C#7 | Tonic |
| ♭II | D | Dmaj7 | Supertonic |
| iii° | E#dim | E#dim7 | Mediant |
| iv | F#m | F#m(maj7) | Subdominant |
| v° | G#dim | G#m7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Aaug | Amaj7#5 | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Bm | Bm7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise C# Phrygian Dominant anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the C# Phrygian Dominant Scale?
- The C# Phrygian Dominant Scale has 7 notes: C#, D, E#, F#, G#, A, B.
- What chords are in the C# Phrygian Dominant Scale?
- The chords of C# Phrygian Dominant are C# (I), D (♭II), E#dim (iii°), F#m (iv), G#dim (v°), Aaug (♭VI+), Bm (♭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 C# Phrygian Dominant on the guitar?
- The root C# is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 9–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.