F# Phrygian Dominant on Guitar
The F# Phrygian dominant scale is F#, G, A#, B, C#, D and E. The G above the F# gives the flat second, while A# is the major third that keeps the tonic chord major.
Start on the 2nd fret of the low E string and use the 9th fret of the A string as a second anchor. The scale is B harmonic minor starting on its fifth note. Practise the sound with two notes per string patterns, which make the intervals easy to hear.
Play the F# phrygian dominant scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the F# phrygian dominant scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| F# | 1 | Root | 0 |
| G | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| A# | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| B | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| C# | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| D | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| E | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
F# 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.
F# Phrygian Dominant Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (low E)
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 F# 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
