Playing the C Phrygian Dominant Scale
Learn the C Phrygian dominant scale as C, Db, E, F, G, Ab and Bb. The Db against C gives the tense flat second, and the E above it keeps the tonic chord major.
No open string helps in this key, so the shapes are fully movable: start from the 8th fret of the low E string or the 3rd fret of the A string. The notes are those of F harmonic minor, played from their fifth degree. Spend a few minutes with scale fingering before you try it fast.
Play the C phrygian dominant scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the C phrygian dominant scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Db | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| E | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| F | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| G | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| Ab | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| Bb | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
C phrygian dominant scale notes:
How the phrygian dominant scale is built:
The phrygian dominant scale is built from the degrees 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7, which gives the step pattern H-W+H-H-W-H-W-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is mode 5 of the Harmonic Minor Scale, so both scales share the same notes from a different starting point.
It is also known as Jewish Scale, Ahava Raba, Freygish and Spanish Phrygian.
C Phrygian Dominant Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (B)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the C phrygian dominant scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Related modes
These scales share the same notes as the phrygian dominant scale, starting from a different degree.
The phrygian dominant scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
