D Phrygian dominant scale on guitar
D Phrygian dominant has 7 notes: D E♭ F♯ G A B♭ C. Degrees: 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Formula: H W+H H W H W W.
What notes are in the D Phrygian dominant scale?
D, E♭, F♯, G, A, B♭ and C. It has 7 notes; its formula in whole and half steps is H W+H H W H W W.
What does D Phrygian dominant sound like, and when do you use it?
Flamenco, the Middle East and metal: the ♭2 with a major 3rd. Use it over 7♭9 resolving to a minor chord (the V of harmonic minor).
Chords in D Phrygian dominant
| Degree | Triad | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| I | D | D7 |
| ♭II | E♭ | E♭maj7 |
| iii° | F♯° | F♯°7 |
| iv | Gm | Gm(maj7) |
| v° | A° | Am7♭5 |
| ♭VI+ | B♭+ | B♭maj7♯5 |
| ♭vii | Cm | Cm7 |
Chord progressions to improvise with D Phrygian dominant
In Jam mode (the Jam button above) a band of grand piano, upright bass and drums (recorded instruments) plays these progressions as swing, bossa, groove or ballad, and the fretboard lights up the notes of each chord as it plays. It's a backing track made for this scale in D:
- Flamenco (I7–♭IImaj7): D7 | E♭maj7. I–♭II: the major 3rd (F♯) against the ♭2 (E♭). Spain and the Middle East.
- iv–I (iv–I7): Gm | Gm | D7 | D7. The end of the Andalusian cadence, where this scale lives: land on the I through the E♭.
- Modal (I7): a D7 vamp. A single 7 chord: the ♭2 and the ♭6 are the tensions to lean on.
D Phrygian dominant positions on guitar
In standard tuning (E A D G B E), with 3 notes per string, D Phrygian dominant is played in 7 positions along the neck:
- Position 1: frets 10 to 15 (starts on the root)
- Position 2: frets 11 to 17
- Position 3: frets 1 to 7
- Position 4: frets 3 to 8
- Position 5: frets 5 to 10
- Position 6: frets 6 to 11
- Position 7: frets 8 to 14
Same notes as
Phrygian dominant in other keys
On other instruments
D Phrygian dominant on piano · D Phrygian dominant on bass · All scales