Guitar scale · exotic
D Ultraphrygian Scale
Mode 3 of Double Harmonic Major: Phrygian with a lowered 4th and a doubly flattened 7th (𝄫7).
Tap any note to hear it.
D Ultraphrygian 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|-------------------------------------11-12-------------| G|----------------------------10-11-14-------------------| D|----------------------12-13----------------------------| A|-------------12-13-14----------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-14-| B|-------------------------------------15-16-------| G|----------------------------14-15-16-------------| D|----------------12-13-15-16----------------------| A|-------12-13-14----------------------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-17-18-| B|----------------------------------15-16-18----------| G|-------------------------14-15-16-------------------| D|-------------------15-16----------------------------| A|----------14-17-18----------------------------------| E|-14-17-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-19-| B|-------------------------------------18-19----------| G|-------------------------------19-20----------------| D|----------------------19-20-21----------------------| A|----------17-18-20-21-------------------------------| E|-17-18-19-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------19-22-| B|-------------------------------19-22-------| G|----------------------19-20-22-------------| D|-------------19-20-21----------------------| A|-------20-21-------------------------------| E|-19-22-------------------------------------|
How to play D Ultraphrygian 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 | Cb |
Chords in D Ultraphrygian
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Ultraphrygian; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | — | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Ebm | Ebm(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♭III | — | — | Mediant |
| ♭IV+ | Gbaug | Gbmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Bb | Bbmaj7 | Submediant |
| VII | Cb | Cbmaj7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise D Ultraphrygian anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Ultraphrygian Scale?
- The D Ultraphrygian Scale has 7 notes: D, Eb, F, Gb, A, Bb, Cb.
- What chords are in the D Ultraphrygian Scale?
- The chords of D Ultraphrygian are Dm (i), Ebm (♭ii), Gbaug (♭IV+), Bb (♭VI), Cb (VII).
- What is the formula of the ultraphrygian scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 5 ♭6 𝄫7, which is the step pattern H W H W+H H H W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Ultraphrygian 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.