Chord Colors

D♯ Phrygian scale

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

Five of the notes in D Phrygian are black keys, D, F, G, A, and C.

Chords in the key of D sharp Phrygian

Expand a chord to see how to play it.

i D sharp minor
Position 2 of 3

D sharp minor over F sharp (1st inversion)

II E
Position 2 of 3

E over G sharp (1st inversion)

III F sharp
Position 2 of 3

F sharp over A sharp (1st inversion)

iv G sharp minor
Position 2 of 3

G sharp minor over B (1st inversion)

A sharp diminished
Position 2 of 3

A sharp diminished over C sharp (1st inversion)

VI B
Position 2 of 3

B over D sharp (1st inversion)

vii C sharp minor
Position 2 of 3

C sharp minor over E (1st inversion)

Seventh chords in D sharp Phrygian

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

i D sharp minor seven

D sharp minor seven

II E major seven

E major seven

III F sharp seven

F sharp seven

iv G sharp minor seven

G sharp minor seven

A sharp minor seven flat five

A sharp minor seven flat five

VI B major seven

B major seven

vii C sharp minor seven

C sharp minor seven

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

Fingering

Suggested fingering, follows standard fingering rules

Hand D sharpEF sharpG sharpA sharpBC sharpD sharp
Right hand31234123
Left hand21432132

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

Paste the snippet into a lesson page, a blog or a forum post. The card links back here.

Eb Phrygian scale on piano shown as colored note dots
Chord Colors

There's so much more to explore

Explore on the go. Over 150 chord progressions, modal mixture, build your own progressions, and more!

Try web version iOS app
Chord Colors on iPhone showing chords, guitar voicings, progressions, and scales