ArpeggiosEN

Scale

D♭ phrygian dominant

Harmonic minor modes

Formula
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7
Notes
D♭ E♭♭ F G♭ A♭ B♭♭ C♭

Notation

441♭2345♭6♭71

Fretboard — frets 0–24

D♭ phrygian dominant — frets 0 to 24, 87 notes, roots in orange345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭75♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭234♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭20123456789101112131415161718192021222324
D♭ phrygian dominant — frets 0 to 24, 87 notes, roots in orange345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭75♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭234♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭20123456789101112131415161718192021222324

Degrees

DegreeNoteIntervalSemitonesRole
1D♭perfect unison0The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves.
♭2E♭♭minor second1The minor second — a half-step above the root and the sharpest tension in the box; phrygian and the altered scale lean on it.
3Fmajor third4The major third — the bright note that makes a quality major; it defines the chord's colour and pulls gently toward the root.
4G♭perfect fourth5The perfect fourth — stable yet suspended; in sus4 it takes the third's place and leaves the chord hanging.
5A♭perfect fifth7The perfect fifth — the root's strongest companion; it anchors every triad and stacked-seventh quality.
♭6B♭♭minor sixth8The minor sixth — the dark sixth of aeolian, harmonic minor and mixolydian ♭6; it adds a classical, mournful weight.
♭7C♭minor seventh10The minor seventh — the dominant's engine; a whole step under the root, it turns a triad into a 7 chord and drives the resolution.

About this scale

Phrygian dominant is the fifth degree of harmonic minor: the phrygian scale with a major third instead of a minor one. That combination — flat second, major third — is the sound of flamenco, Spanish classical music and Middle Eastern traditions, and it is also the go-to scale over a dominant chord with a flat ninth and flat thirteenth. The flat second supplies the exotic tension while the major third and flat seventh make the harmony a dominant, so the scale both colours and drives. Jazz players know it as the Spanish or Jewish scale. Listen for the augmented second between the flat second and the major third.

How to practise this scale

  • Play the augmented second between the flat second and the major third.
  • Improvise a flamenco phrase over a dominant chord and land on the flat second.
  • Compare it with phrygian and hear the third turn major.
  • Play the scale over a 7♭9 chord and resolve the flat second down.