STRINGSCALES

E phrygian dominant Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F, G#, A, B, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

A string: A, B, C, D, E, F, G#, A at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12

D string: D, E, F, G#, A, B, C, D at frets 0, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

G string: G#, A, B, C, D, E, F at frets 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10

B string: B, C, D, E, F, G#, A, B at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12

High E string: E, F, G#, A, B, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

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E phrygian dominant

The phrygian dominant scale, the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, is phrygian with a major 3rd: flat 2nd, bright 3rd, and the augmented 2nd between them. It is the definitive flamenco and Middle Eastern guitar sound, and metal's favorite exotic mode. Over a dominant chord resolving to minor, or a static E-style vamp, it is unmistakable in one bar.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

E

I

Emaj
F

bII

Fmaj
G♯

iii°

G♯dim
A

iv

Am
B

v°

Bdim
C

bVI+

Caug
D

bvii

Dm

Characteristic note: G# (natural 3), the major third over a phrygian b2 that creates the Spanish sound.

Same notes, different mode

E phrygian dominant uses the same notes as the scales below. Start from a different note and you get a new mode built on the very same note set.

F lydian #9G# ultralocrianA harmonic minorB locrian 6C major augmentedD dorian #4

phrygian dominant in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Hold the major 3rd (G#) against the flat 2nd (F): that augmented-2nd clash is the flamenco and klezmer sound; do not smooth it out.
  • Vamp E major to the major chord on bII (F) and back; that two-chord Andalusian cadence is the scale's natural habitat.
  • Over a V7 chord resolving to minor, E phrygian dominant is the classic choice; land on the 3rd of the target minor chord.
  • For metal, palm-mute the root and accent bII (F), III and bVI (C); the scale riffs itself.

How to play E phrygian dominant on guitar

Both E strings ring as the root open, so E phrygian dominant drones itself: low E and high E anchor the key while the open B adds the fifth. Open A and D are scale tones too, which means five open strings work in this key. F sits one fret above the root. F to G# spans an augmented second, and that gap lands under your fingers as a three-fret jump between neighbours. At fret 4 the first box ends, so the roots at fret 7 on the A string and fret 2 on the D string are the next anchors.

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