E phrygian dominant scale on 8-string guitar

E · F · G♯ · A · B · C · D

The course explains what this page shows in Lesson 24 · Modes.

The notes

  1. E1
  2. F♭2
  3. G♯3
  4. A4
  5. B5
  6. C♭6
  7. D♭7

The E phrygian dominant scale is E, F, G♯, A, B, C, D.

You may also see it called Spanish · Freygish · 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7.

On the staff

EFG♯ABCDE

On a treble staff, the E phrygian dominant scale is written E F G♯ A B C D.

This is one octave of the E phrygian dominant scale, written on the treble clef. Guitar and bass music is written an octave higher than it sounds, and the small 8 under the clef is the sign for that.

Why the E phrygian dominant scale has this sharp

  1. E1
  2. S
  3. F♭2
  4. T+S
  5. G♯3
  6. S
  7. A4
  8. T
  9. B5
  10. S
  11. C♭6
  12. T
  13. D♭7
  14. T
  15. E8

A scale is a pattern of steps, and this one is S T+S S T S T T: a semitone, a tone and a half, a semitone, and so on. S stands for a semitone, the distance of one fret or one key. T stands for a tone, which is two semitones. T+S stands for a tone and a half, which is three semitones. The pattern is what gives E phrygian dominant its sound, and it stays the same whichever note you start on.

The second rule is that a seven-note scale uses each letter name once, from A to G, so its seven notes take seven different letters. That is why E phrygian dominant is spelled the way it is, rather than with whichever accidental looks tidier.

Together, the two rules leave no room for choice. If you walk the pattern up from E, one letter cannot keep up:

  • G♯ — the third. The pattern needs a tone and a half from F, but F to G is only a tone, so G has to rise to G♯.

That accidental was not a choice. Once you pick the note to start on, the pattern decides the rest, and a key signature is a record of the result.

The E phrygian dominant scale is written with G♯, because the S T+S S T S T T pattern of steps cannot be spelled with plain letters from E.

The pattern of steps is the part of a scale that never changes. The letter names take sharps or flats to fit that pattern, and a key signature is a record of those sharps or flats.

On the piano

♭6C♭7D1E♭2FG4A5B♭6C♭7D1E♭2FG4A5B♭6C♭7D1E♭2FG4A5B♭6C♭7D1E♭2FG4A5B♭6C♭7D1E♭2FG4A5B♭6CC♯D♯F♯3G♯A♯C♯D♯F♯3G♯A♯C♯D♯F♯3G♯A♯C♯D♯F♯3G♯A♯C♯D♯F♯3G♯A♯C1C2C3C4C5C6

The keyboard shows the same seven notes as a shape you can see. The coloured keys are the E phrygian dominant scale, and you can click any key to hear it.

E phrygian dominant scale on the whole neck

F♯BEADGBE123456789101112131415G♯3A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2G♯3A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2G♯3A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2G♯3A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2G♯3A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2G♯3A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2G♯3A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2G♯3A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2G♯3A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2G♯3A4B5C♭6D♭7E1F♭2

118 notes of the E phrygian dominant scale are marked across eight strings.

This is every place the notes of the E phrygian dominant scale fall on the 8-string guitar, with each note's name and its scale degree. The roots are marked so you can find your bearings.

Position by position

Position 1 — starts on the 3
F♯BEADGBE234567345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭234
Position 2 — starts on the 4
F♯BEADGBE34567845♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭7♭71♭2345
Position 3 — starts on the 5
F♯BEADGBE56789105♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭711♭2345♭6
Position 4 — starts on the ♭6
F♯BEADGBE67891011♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2♭2345♭6♭7
Position 5 — starts on the ♭7
F♯BEADGBE8910111213♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71
Position 6 — starts on the 1
F♯BEADGBE1011121314151♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭23445♭6♭71♭2
Position 7 — starts on the ♭2
F♯BEADGBE111213141516♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2

The E phrygian dominant scale has seven playable positions, at frets 2–6, 3–7, 5–9, 6–10, 8–12, 10–14 and 11–15.

Each shape starts on a different degree of the scale and fits inside five frets, so your hand can play all of it without moving.

One climb up the neck

F♯BEADGBE1011121314151617181920212223241♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71♭2345♭6♭71TAB1011141512131517131617141517191518191617192118212219202224

The climb runs from fret 10 to fret 24 and plays 29 notes.

This is one path from the lowest root to the top of the neck, and it plays each note once, never on two strings. It takes a different number of notes on different strings. The widest stretch on any one string is five frets.