A Phrygian Dominant Scale on Guitar — 2 Shapes to Play the Whole Neck
A Phrygian Dominant belongs to the harmonic minor mode family — every mode in it inherits the three-semitone augmented second that gives harmonic minor its distinctive sound, though each mode places that gap on a different pair of degrees. Its notes are A Bb C# D E F G, from the formula 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7. Computed live for this exact root, it resolves to 2 repeating shapes across the fretboard.
A Phrygian Dominant Scale Notes
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1 |
| 2 | Bb | b2 |
| 3 | C# | 3 |
| 4 | D | 4 |
| 5 | E | 5 |
| 6 | F | b6 |
| 7 | G | b7 |
A Phrygian Dominant Formula
Degree formula: 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7
A Phrygian Dominant on the Guitar Fretboard
The notes of Phrygian Dominant repeat across the guitar fretboard in connected positions. Use the shape below to identify root notes, scale degrees, and neighboring shapes.
- Frets 3–13 (span 10 frets)
- Lowest note G, highest note F
- 3 A root notes, on the E string (fret 5), D string (fret 7), B string (fret 10)
How to practice this shape
- Start on the root — A at fret 5 on the E string. Play up to the highest note in the shape, then back down, staying inside frets 3–13.
- Your hand shifts 5 times as you cross strings: E→A (+1), A→D (+1), D→G (+1), G→B (+2), B→E (+1). Those crossings — not the notes — are what this position is really asking you to learn.
- Once it feels automatic, move on to the next of the 2 shapes — together they cover the whole neck, and the same pattern repeats from there.
What Gives A Phrygian Dominant Its Sound?
The characteristic sound of A Phrygian Dominant comes from its major 3rd and minor 2nd.
Diatonic chords
These are the 7 chords built from A Phrygian Dominant's own notes — the ones that will sound like they belong when you're writing a progression, backing a melody, or jamming in this key. The Roman numeral shows each chord's role in the key: capital for major, lowercase for minor, ° for diminished, + for augmented. Not every scale produces a clean chord on every degree — where that happens, we show it honestly instead of forcing a name that doesn't fit.
A Phrygian Dominant Scale Relationships
- Parent scale: D Harmonic Minor
A Phrygian Dominant FAQ
A Phrygian Dominant contains the notes A, Bb, C#, D, E, F, G.
A Phrygian Dominant is a mode of D Harmonic Minor.
A Phrygian Dominant has a natural (major) 3rd degree, giving it a major character. It's derived from D Harmonic Minor.
The diatonic chords in A Phrygian Dominant are A, Bb, C#dim, Dm, Edim, Faug, Gm.