Chord Colors

D♯ Phrygian scale

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About the D sharp Phrygian scale

D sharp Phrygian is used for flamenco, metal riffs and film cues that need menace or mystery. Think of it as a dark, exotic minor with a tense half-step right above the root. It is D Natural Minor with the second lowered.

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

Also called Inverted Major and Bhairavi.

Learn more about the D♯ Phrygian scale

An unfretted guitar already sounds E and B from the mode. The 6th fret of the A string is the lowest D on the neck. A capo at the first fret brings D Phrygian within reach of D-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.

D shapeopen
C shapefr 3
A shapefr 5
G shapefr 8
E shapefr 11
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 6
Shape 5fr 7
Shape 6fr 9
Shape 7fr 11
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 1open
Position 2fr 2
Position 3fr 4
Position 4fr 6
Position 5fr 7
Position 6fr 9
Position 7fr 11

Chords in the key of D sharp Phrygian

Expand a chord to see how to play it.

i D sharp minor
Position 1 of 4
II E
Position 1 of 4
III F sharp
Position 1 of 4
iv G sharp minor
Position 1 of 4
4fr
A sharp diminished
Position 1 of 4
VI B
Position 1 of 4
vii C sharp minor
Position 1 of 4

Seventh chords in D sharp Phrygian

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

i D sharp minor seven
Position 1 of 4
II E major seven
Position 1 of 4
III F sharp seven
Position 1 of 4
iv G sharp minor seven
Position 1 of 4
4fr
A sharp minor seven flat five
Position 1 of 4
VI B major seven
Position 1 of 4
vii C sharp minor seven
Position 1 of 4
4fr

Progressions in D sharp Phrygian

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

Common
Common

Notes and intervals

1D#D♯Root
2EEMinor 2nd
3F#F♯Minor 3rd
4G#G♯Perfect 4th
5A#A♯Perfect 5th
6BBMinor 6th
7C#C♯Minor 7th
StepsH W W W H W W
Semitones1-2-2-2-1-2-2
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 in other keys

Modes

The same notes, starting on a different note.

Embed this scale

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Eb Phrygian scale on guitar shown as colored note dots
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