Chord Colors

A♯ Phrygian b4 scale

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About the A sharp Phrygian b4 scale

A sharp Phrygian b4 is used for metal, film scoring and tense modal writing. Think of it as a phrygian scale with its fourth lowered, extra dark.

Its notes are A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The formula is H W H 1½ H W W. It is the third mode of F Harmonic Major.

In A Phrygian 4, the open strings sound D and B. The 1st fret of the A string is the lowest A on the neck. A capo at the first fret brings A Phrygian 4 within reach of A-shape fingerings.

Positions

Playable shapes for this scale up the neck. Tap any note to hear it.

CAGED

Five shapes, each anchored to a chord form you already know, the pop and rock default that ties your scales to your chords. The outlined notes are that chord, so you can see the C, A, G, E, and D shapes inside the scale.

A shapeopen
G shapefr 3
E shapefr 5
D shapefr 7
C shapefr 10
3NPS

3NPS stands for 3 notes per string. It lays the scale out in seven even shapes for rock and metal lead, and favors speed because the picking pattern stays consistent across every string.

Shape 1open
Shape 2fr 2
Shape 3fr 4
Shape 4fr 5
Shape 5fr 7
Shape 6fr 9
Shape 7fr 10
7-position system

7 four-fret boxes, one per scale degree, each a single hand position with almost no shifting. The jazz and classical way, from William Leavitt's Berklee method.

Position 1fr 1
Position 2fr 2
Position 3fr 4
Position 4fr 6
Position 5fr 7
Position 6fr 9
Position 7fr 10

Chords in the key of A sharp Phrygian b4

Expand a chord to see how to play it.

i A sharp minor
Position 1 of 4
ii B minor
Position 1 of 4
III C sharp
Position 1 of 4
IV+ D augmented
Position 1 of 4
E sharp diminished
Position 1 of 4
VI F sharp
Position 1 of 4
vii° G sharp diminished
Position 1 of 4

Seventh chords in A sharp Phrygian b4

The four-note version of each chord, richer and jazzier.

i A sharp minor seven
Position 1 of 4
ii B minor major seven
Position 1 of 4
III C sharp seven
Position 1 of 4
IV+ D major seven sharp five
Position 1 of 4
E sharp diminished seven
Position 1 of 4
VI F sharp major seven
Position 1 of 4
vii° G sharp minor seven flat five
Position 1 of 4

Progressions in A sharp Phrygian b4

Tap any chord to hear it, or play the whole progression.

Notes and intervals

1A#A♯Root
2BBMinor 2nd
3C#C♯Minor 3rd
4DDDiminished 4th
5E#E♯Perfect 5th
6F#F♯Minor 6th
7G#G♯Minor 7th
StepsH W H 1½ H W W
Semitones1-2-1-3-1-2-2
Degrees1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Shapes

Chromatic

CC♯D♭DD♯E♭EFF♯G♭GG♯A♭AA♯B♭B

Circle of Fifths

CGDAEBF♯G♭C♯D♭G♯A♭D♯E♭A♯B♭F

Related scales

Phrygian b4 in other keys

Modes

The same notes, starting on a different note.

Embed this scale

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Bb Phrygian b4 scale on guitar shown as colored note dots
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