Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
F# Phrygian b4 Scale
Mode 3 of Harmonic Major: Phrygian with a lowered 4th.
Tap any note to hear it.
F# 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|-----------------------------2-3-5-6-| B|-------------------------3-5---------| G|-------------------2-3-6-------------| D|-------------2-4-5-------------------| A|---------4-5-------------------------| E|-2-3-5-6-----------------------------|
e|-----------------------------5-6-| B|-----------------------5-7-8-----| G|-------------------6-7-----------| D|-----------4-5-7-8---------------| A|-----4-5-7-----------------------| E|-5-6-----------------------------|
e|--------------------------------6-9-10-| B|-------------------------7-8-10--------| G|-------------------6-7-9---------------| D|---------------7-8---------------------| A|--------7-9-10-------------------------| E|-6-9-10--------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------9-10-12-| B|----------------------------------10-11---------| G|--------------------------9-11-12---------------| D|--------------------11-12-----------------------| A|---------9-10-12-13-----------------------------| E|-9-10-12----------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------14-15----------| G|-------------------------11-12-14-15----------------| D|----------------11-12-14----------------------------| A|----------12-13-------------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
How to play F# Phrygian b4 on guitar
Find the root first: F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every F# 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 2–6. 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 | F# |
| ♭2 | G |
| ♭3 | A |
| ♭4 | Bb |
| 5 | C# |
| ♭6 | D |
| ♭7 | E |
Chords in F# Phrygian b4
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in F# Phrygian b4; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | F#m7 | Tonic |
| ♭ii | Gm | Gm(maj7) | Supertonic |
| ♭III | A | A7 | Mediant |
| ♭IV+ | Bbaug | Bbmaj7#5 | Subdominant |
| v° | C#dim | C#dim7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI | D | Dmaj7 | Submediant |
| ♭vii° | Edim | Em7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
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Practise F# Phrygian b4 anywhere, even offline.
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Questions
- What notes are in the F# Phrygian b4 Scale?
- The F# Phrygian b4 Scale has 7 notes: F#, G, A, Bb, C#, D, E.
- What chords are in the F# Phrygian b4 Scale?
- The chords of F# Phrygian b4 are F#m (i), Gm (♭ii), A (♭III), Bbaug (♭IV+), C#dim (v°), D (♭VI), Edim (♭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 F# Phrygian b4 on the guitar?
- The root F# is at fret 2 on the low E string and fret 9 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 2–6, and four more positions connect it up the neck.