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Guitar scale · Spanish Phrygian

Eb Phrygian Dominant Scale

5th mode of Harmonic Minor. Mesmerizing oriental and flamenco solos for rock and metal.

Notes EbFbGAbBbCbDb
Formula 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Steps H W+H H W H W W
Mood Oriental, Flamenco, Powerful
Heard in Flamenco, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Rock

Interactive scale diagram

Eb Phrygian Dominant Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

Eb 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.

Position 1 · E shape frets 11–15
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-15-|
B|-------------------------------------12-14----------|
G|----------------------------12-13-15----------------|
D|-------------------11-13-14-------------------------|
A|----------11-13-14----------------------------------|
E|-11-12-15-------------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 13–17
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-|
B|----------------------------------14-16-17-------|
G|-------------------------13-15-16----------------|
D|----------------13-14-17-------------------------|
A|-------13-14-16----------------------------------|
E|-15-16-------------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 15–19
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-18-19-|
B|-------------------------------------16-17-------------|
G|----------------------------15-16-18-------------------|
D|----------------------17-18----------------------------|
A|-------------16-18-19----------------------------------|
E|-15-16-18-19-------------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 18–22
e|-------------------------------------------18-19-21-|
B|-------------------------------------20-21----------|
G|----------------------------18-20-21----------------|
D|-------------------18-20-21-------------------------|
A|----------18-19-22----------------------------------|
E|-18-19-21-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 20–22
e|-------------------------21-|
B|-------------------20-21----|
G|-------------20-21----------|
D|-------20-21----------------|
A|----22----------------------|
E|-21-------------------------|

How to play Eb Phrygian Dominant on guitar

Find the root first: Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Eb 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 11–15. 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

DegreeNote
1 Eb
♭2 Fb
3 G
4 Ab
5 Bb
♭6 Cb
♭7 Db

Chords in Eb Phrygian Dominant

Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Eb Phrygian Dominant; tap one to see its shapes.

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I Eb Eb7 Tonic
♭II Fb Fbmaj7 Supertonic
iii° Gdim Gdim7 Mediant
iv Abm Abm(maj7) Subdominant
v° Bbdim Bbm7b5 Dominant
♭VI+ Cbaug Cbmaj7#5 Submediant
♭vii Dbm Dbm7 Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the Eb Phrygian Dominant Scale?
The Eb Phrygian Dominant Scale has 7 notes: Eb, Fb, G, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db.
What chords are in the Eb Phrygian Dominant Scale?
The chords of Eb Phrygian Dominant are Eb (I), Fb (♭II), Gdim (iii°), Abm (iv), Bbdim (v°), Cbaug (♭VI+), Dbm (♭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 Eb Phrygian Dominant on the guitar?
The root Eb is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 11–15, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Phrygian Dominant Scale in every key

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