Ab Phrygian, Spelled with a Double Flat
Ab, Bbb, Cb, Db, Eb, Fb and Gb make up the Ab Phrygian scale. The double flat is just the note A, so on the neck you play what G# Phrygian gives you, and that is the spelling most charts would use.
Fret the root at the 4th fret of the low E string or the 11th fret of the A string. For help seeing the mode against others, try learning modes by comparison.
Play the Ab phrygian scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the Ab phrygian scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ab | 1 | Root | 0 |
| Bbb | b2 | Minor 2nd | 1 |
| Cb | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| Db | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| Eb | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| Fb | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| Gb | b7 | Minor 7th | 10 |
Structure
Ab phrygian scale notes:
How the phrygian scale is built:
The phrygian scale is built from the degrees 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7, which gives the step pattern H-W-W-W-H-W-W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is mode 3 of the Major Scale, so both scales share the same notes from a different starting point.
Ab Phrygian Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (G)
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 Ab phrygian scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Scales with the same notes as Ab Phrygian
These scales use exactly the same notes. Each one starts somewhere else, so the root and the mood change.
| Scale | Starts on degree | Learn the scale |
|---|---|---|
| A Lydian | b2 | Lydian Scale |
| B Mixolydian | b3 | Mixolydian |
| C# Minor | 4 | Minor Scale |
| Eb Locrian | 5 | Locrian Scale |
| E Major | b6 | Major Scale |
| F# Dorian | b7 | Dorian Scale |
Other scales on Ab
Same root, different notes. Play them back to back to hear what changes.
- Ab Indian: drops the b3 and b7
- Ab Minor: 2 instead of b2
- Ab Locrian: b5 instead of 5
- Ab Phrygian Dominant: 3 instead of b3
- Ab Dorian b2: 6 instead of b6
The phrygian scale in other keys
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Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
