Db Phrygian

D flat Phrygian scale for guitar.
The Db Phrygian is a seven-note scale, it is also called a mode. Colored circles in the diagram mark the notes in the scale (darker color highlighting the root notes). In the fretboard pattern, the first root note is on the 6th string, 9th fret.

Db Phrygian 2 octaves

Db Phrygian scale diagram

Db Phrygian full fretboard

Db Phrygian scale whole guitar neck diagram

Db Phrygian note names

Db Phrygian scale with note letters diagram
Notes: Db - Ebb - Fb - Gb - Ab - Bbb - Cb Intervals: 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 2 Type: Septonic 

The scale displayed with its numeric formula, notes, intervals and scale degrees.

Formula Notes Intervals Degrees
1 Db Unison Tonic
b2 Ebb Minor second Supertonic
b3 Fb Minor third Mediant
4 Gb Perfect fourth Subdominant
5 Ab Perfect fifth Dominant
b6 Bbb Minor sixth Submediant
b7 Cb Minor seventh Subtonic

The second degree is written as Ebb, which is the same as D. The third degree is written as Fb, which is the same as E. The sixth degree is written as Bbb, which is the same as A. The seventh degree is written as Cb, which is the same as B. A practice in a scale notation is to not include the same letter twice, if it can be avoided.

The D flat Phrygian scale consists of seven notes. These can be described as steps on the guitar fingerboard according to the following formula: half, whole, whole, whole, half, whole, whole from the first note to the same in the next octave.
The Db Phrygian is the third mode of the A Major Scale. It contains exactly the same notes, but starts on another note. Since Phrygian has a Minor scale quality it can also be seen as a mode of the Gb Minor.
The Db Phrygian is also the same as the Db Minor apart from one note, the second in the scale.

This scale is typically played in styles such as Spanish music and metal.
The easiest way to learn this scale is to think of it as either the A Major starting on its third note or the Gb Minor starting on its fifth note.

Chords that are related to this scale are the following:

Dbm, Dbm7
D, Dmaj7, D6, D6/9, Dmaj9, Dmaj13
E, E7, E6, E6/9, E9, E11, E13
Gbm, Gbm7, Gbm9, Gbm11
Abdim, Abm7b5
A, Amaj7, A6, A6/9, Amaj9, Amaj13
Bm, Bm7, Bm6, Bm9, Bm11, Bm13

The tones in these chords correspond to the tones of the Db Phrygian scale, with some possible ones excluded.

Related to this scale is the D flat Phrygian Dominant Mode. It is identical with the Db Phrygian except for a major instead of a minor third. It can be displayed as follows:

Formula Notes Intervals Degrees
1 Db Unison Tonic
b2 Ebb Minor second Supertonic
3 F Major third Mediant
4 Gb Perfect fourth Subdominant
5 Ab Diminished fifth Dominant
b6 Bbb Minor sixth Submediant
b7 Cb Minor seventh Subtonic

The Db Phrygian Dominant contains the same notes as the Gb Harmonic Minor Scale, but starts on another note.

Start the audio and play along! Use notes from the scale in the diagram above.

Normal tempo:
Slow tempo:

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