Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
C Phrygian b4 Scale
Mode 3 of Harmonic Major: Phrygian with a lowered 4th.
Tap any note to hear it.
C 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|-------------------------------------8-9-11-12-| B|--------------------------------9-11-----------| G|-------------------------8-9-12----------------| D|-----------------8-10-11-----------------------| A|-----------10-11-------------------------------| E|-8-9-11-12-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------11-12-| B|----------------------------------11-13-14-------| G|----------------------------12-13----------------| D|----------------10-11-13-14----------------------| A|-------10-11-13----------------------------------| E|-11-12-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-15-16-| B|----------------------------------13-14-16----------| G|-------------------------12-13-15-------------------| D|-------------------13-14----------------------------| A|----------13-15-16----------------------------------| E|-12-15-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-16-18-| B|-------------------------------------16-17----------| G|----------------------------15-17-18----------------| D|----------------------17-18-------------------------| A|----------15-16-18-19-------------------------------| E|-15-16-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-21-| B|-------------------------------------20-21----------| G|-------------------------17-18-20-21----------------| D|----------------17-18-20----------------------------| A|----------18-19-------------------------------------| E|-18-20-21-------------------------------------------|
How to play C Phrygian b4 on guitar
Find the root first: C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every C 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 8–12. 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 | C |
| ♭2 | Db |
| ♭3 | Eb |
| ♭4 | Fb |
| 5 | G |
| ♭6 | Ab |
| ♭7 | Bb |
Chords in C Phrygian b4
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in C Phrygian b4; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Cm7 | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Dbm | Dbm(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♭III | Eb | Eb7 | Mediant |
| ♭IV+ | Fbaug | Fbmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| v° | Gdim | Gdim7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | Ab | Abmaj7 | Submediant |
| ♭vii° | Bbdim | Bbm7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise C Phrygian b4 anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the C Phrygian b4 Scale?
- The C Phrygian b4 Scale has 7 notes: C, Db, Eb, Fb, G, Ab, Bb.
- What chords are in the C Phrygian b4 Scale?
- The chords of C Phrygian b4 are Cm (i), Dbm (♭ii), Eb (♭III), Fbaug (♭IV+), Gdim (v°), Ab (♭VI), Bbdim (♭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 C Phrygian b4 on the guitar?
- The root C is at fret 8 on the low E string and fret 3 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 8–12, and four more positions connect it up the neck.