Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
Ab Phrygian b4 Scale
Mode 3 of Harmonic Major: Phrygian with a lowered 4th.
Tap any note to hear it.
Ab Phrygian b4 Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-----------------------------4-5-7-8-| B|-------------------------5-7---------| G|-------------------4-5-8-------------| D|-------------4-6-7-------------------| A|---------6-7-------------------------| E|-4-5-7-8-----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------7-8-| B|------------------------7-9-10-----| G|--------------------8-9------------| D|-----------6-7-9-10----------------| A|-----6-7-9-------------------------| E|-7-8-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------8-11-12-| B|-----------------------------9-10-12---------| G|----------------------8-9-11-----------------| D|-----------------9-10------------------------| A|---------9-11-12-----------------------------| E|-8-11-12-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-13----------| G|----------------------------11-13-14----------------| D|----------------------13-14-------------------------| A|----------11-12-14-15-------------------------------| E|-11-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-17-| B|-------------------------------------16-17----------| G|-------------------------13-14-16-17----------------| D|----------------13-14-16----------------------------| A|----------14-15-------------------------------------| E|-14-16-17-------------------------------------------|
How to play Ab Phrygian b4 on guitar
Find the root first: Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every Ab on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (♭3, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 4–8. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Ab Phrygian b4 is also written G# Phrygian b4: G# A B C D# E F#. The frets are the same; under that name every note keeps its own letter, with no double sharps or flats.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ab |
| ♭2 | A |
| ♭3 | Cb |
| ♭4 | C |
| 5 | Eb |
| ♭6 | Fb |
| ♭7 | Gb |
Chords in Ab Phrygian b4
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in Ab Phrygian b4; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Abm | Abm7 | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Am | Am(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♭III | Cb | Cb7 | Mediant |
| ♭IV+ | Caug | Cmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| v° | Ebdim | Ebdim7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Fb | Fbmaj7 | Submediant |
| ♭vii° | Gbdim | Gbm7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Questions
- What notes are in the Ab Phrygian b4 Scale?
- The Ab Phrygian b4 Scale has 7 notes: Ab, A, Cb, C, Eb, Fb, Gb.
- What chords are in the Ab Phrygian b4 Scale?
- The chords of Ab Phrygian b4 are Abm (i), Am (♭ii), Cb (♭III), Caug (♭IV+), Ebdim (v°), Fb (♭VI), Gbdim (♭vii°).
- What is the formula of the phrygian b4 scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 5 ♭6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W H W+H H W W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play Ab Phrygian b4 on the guitar?
- The root Ab is at fret 4 on the low E string and fret 11 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 4–8, and four more positions connect it up the neck.