Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
D Phrygian b4 Scale
Mode 3 of Harmonic Major: Phrygian with a lowered 4th.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Phrygian b4 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|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-13-------------| G|----------------------------10-11-14-------------------| D|-------------------10-12-13----------------------------| A|-------------12-13-------------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-| B|----------------------------------13-15-16-------| G|----------------------------14-15----------------| D|----------------12-13-15-16----------------------| A|-------12-13-15----------------------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-17-18-| B|----------------------------------15-16-18----------| G|-------------------------14-15-17-------------------| D|-------------------15-16----------------------------| A|----------15-17-18----------------------------------| E|-14-17-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-20-| B|-------------------------------------18-19----------| G|----------------------------17-19-20----------------| D|----------------------19-20-------------------------| A|----------17-18-20-21-------------------------------| E|-17-18-20-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------20-22-| B|-------------------------------19-22-------| G|----------------------19-20-22-------------| D|-------------19-20-22----------------------| A|-------20-21-------------------------------| E|-20-22-------------------------------------|
How to play D Phrygian b4 on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D 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 10–14. 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 | D |
| ♭2 | Eb |
| ♭3 | F |
| ♭4 | Gb |
| 5 | A |
| ♭6 | Bb |
| ♭7 | C |
Chords in D Phrygian b4
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Phrygian b4; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Dm7 | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♭III | F | F7 | Mediant |
| ♭IV+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| v° | Adim | Adim7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Submediant |
| ♭vii° | Cdim | Cm7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Phrygian b4 anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Phrygian b4 Scale?
- The D Phrygian b4 Scale has 7 notes: D, Eb, F, Gb, A, Bb, C.
- What chords are in the D Phrygian b4 Scale?
- The chords of D Phrygian b4 are Dm (i), Ebm (♭ii), F (♭III), Gbaug (♭IV+), Adim (v°), Bb (♭VI), Cdim (♭vii°).
- What is the formula of the phrygian b4 scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W H W+H H W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Phrygian b4 on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.