Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
A Phrygian b4 Scale
Mode 3 of Harmonic Major: Phrygian with a lowered 4th.
Tap any note to hear it.
A 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|-----------------------------5-6-8-9-| B|-------------------------6-8---------| G|-------------------5-6-9-------------| D|-------------5-7-8-------------------| A|---------7-8-------------------------| E|-5-6-8-9-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------8-9-| B|---------------------------8-10-11-----| G|----------------------9-10-------------| D|------------7-8-10-11------------------| A|-----7-8-10----------------------------| E|-8-9-----------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------9-12-13-| B|--------------------------------10-11-13---------| G|------------------------9-10-12------------------| D|------------------10-11--------------------------| A|---------10-12-13--------------------------------| E|-9-12-13-----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-15-| B|-------------------------------------13-14----------| G|----------------------------12-14-15----------------| D|----------------------14-15-------------------------| A|----------12-13-15-16-------------------------------| E|-12-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------17-18----------| G|-------------------------14-15-17-18----------------| D|----------------14-15-17----------------------------| A|----------15-16-------------------------------------| E|-15-17-18-------------------------------------------|
How to play A Phrygian b4 on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A 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 5–9. 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.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| ♭2 | Bb |
| ♭3 | C |
| ♭4 | Db |
| 5 | E |
| ♭6 | F |
| ♭7 | G |
Chords in A Phrygian b4
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in A Phrygian b4; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Am7 | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Bbm | Bbm(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♭III | C | C7 | Mediant |
| ♭IV+ | Dbaug | Dbmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| v° | Edim | Edim7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | F | Fmaj7 | Submediant |
| ♭vii° | Gdim | Gm7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Phrygian b4 anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the A Phrygian b4 Scale?
- The A Phrygian b4 Scale has 7 notes: A, Bb, C, Db, E, F, G.
- What chords are in the A Phrygian b4 Scale?
- The chords of A Phrygian b4 are Am (i), Bbm (♭ii), C (♭III), Dbaug (♭IV+), Edim (v°), F (♭VI), Gdim (♭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 A Phrygian b4 on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.