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Guitar scale · Spanish Phrygian

G Phrygian Dominant Scale

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

Notes GAbBCDEbF
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

G 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.

G 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 3–7
e|-----------------------------3-4-7-|
B|-------------------------4-6-------|
G|-------------------4-5-7-----------|
D|-------------3-5-6-----------------|
A|-------3-5-6-----------------------|
E|-3-4-7-----------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 5–9
e|-----------------------------7-8-|
B|-----------------------6-8-9-----|
G|-----------------5-7-8-----------|
D|-----------5-6-9-----------------|
A|-----5-6-8-----------------------|
E|-7-8-----------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 7–11
e|-----------------------------------7-8-10-11-|
B|-------------------------------8-9-----------|
G|------------------------7-8-10---------------|
D|-------------------9-10----------------------|
A|-----------8-10-11---------------------------|
E|-7-8-10-11-----------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-|
B|-------------------------------------12-13----------|
G|----------------------------10-12-13----------------|
D|-------------------10-12-13-------------------------|
A|----------10-11-14----------------------------------|
E|-10-11-13-------------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 12–16
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-16-|
B|----------------------------------13-15-16----------|
G|-------------------------12-13-16-------------------|
D|----------------12-13-15----------------------------|
A|----------14-15-------------------------------------|
E|-13-15-16-------------------------------------------|

How to play G Phrygian Dominant on guitar

Find the root first: G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every G 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 3–7. 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 G
♭2 Ab
3 B
4 C
5 D
♭6 Eb
♭7 F

Chords in G Phrygian Dominant

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

Degree Chord 7th chord Function
I G G7 Tonic
♭II Ab Abmaj7 Supertonic
iii° Bdim Bdim7 Mediant
iv Cm Cm(maj7) Subdominant
v° Ddim Dm7b5 Dominant
♭VI+ Ebaug Ebmaj7#5 Submediant
♭vii Fm Fm7 Leading tone / subtonic

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Questions

What notes are in the G Phrygian Dominant Scale?
The G Phrygian Dominant Scale has 7 notes: G, Ab, B, C, D, Eb, F.
What chords are in the G Phrygian Dominant Scale?
The chords of G Phrygian Dominant are G (I), Ab (♭II), Bdim (iii°), Cm (iv), Ddim (v°), Ebaug (♭VI+), Fm (♭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 G Phrygian Dominant on the guitar?
The root G is at fret 3 on the low E string and fret 10 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 3–7, and four more positions connect it up the neck.

Phrygian Dominant Scale in every key

More scales in G