Guitar scale · Spanish Phrygian
D Phrygian Dominant Scale
5th mode of Harmonic Minor. Mesmerizing oriental and flamenco solos for rock and metal.
Tap any note to hear it.
D 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|-------------------------------------------10-11-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-13----------| G|----------------------------11-12-14----------------| D|-------------------10-12-13-------------------------| A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------| E|-10-11-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-| B|----------------------------------13-15-16-------| G|-------------------------12-14-15----------------| D|----------------12-13-16-------------------------| A|-------12-13-15----------------------------------| E|-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------15-16-------------| G|----------------------------14-15-17-------------------| D|----------------------16-17----------------------------| A|-------------15-17-18----------------------------------| E|-14-15-17-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-20-| B|-------------------------------------19-20----------| G|----------------------------17-19-20----------------| D|-------------------17-19-20-------------------------| A|----------17-18-21----------------------------------| E|-17-18-20-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------20-22-| B|----------------------------19-20-22-------| G|----------------------19-20----------------| D|-------------19-20-22----------------------| A|-------21-22-------------------------------| E|-20-22-------------------------------------|
How to play D Phrygian Dominant 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 | G |
| 5 | A |
| ♭6 | Bb |
| ♭7 | C |
Chords in D Phrygian Dominant
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Phrygian Dominant; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | D | D7 | Tonic |
| ♭II | Eb | Ebmaj7 | Supertonic |
| iii° | F#dim | F#dim7 | Mediant |
| iv | Gm | Gm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| v° | Adim | Am7b5 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Bbaug | Bbmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Cm | Cm7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Phrygian Dominant Scale?
- The D Phrygian Dominant Scale has 7 notes: D, Eb, F#, G, A, Bb, C.
- What chords are in the D Phrygian Dominant Scale?
- The chords of D Phrygian Dominant are D (I), Eb (♭II), F#dim (iii°), Gm (iv), Adim (v°), Bbaug (♭VI+), Cm (♭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 D Phrygian Dominant 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.