Also written Phrygian Major, Spanish Phrygian or Spanish Gypsy
B♭ phrygian dominant uses B♭, C♭, D, E♭, F, G♭, A♭. Box 1 places the root on string 4, fret 3 and string 1, fret 1.
Build it from B♭ phrygian by raising D♭ to D. The half-step B♭–C♭ and the augmented second C♭–D create the characteristic tension. See the difference in B♭ phrygian. The step pattern is H, 1½, H, W, H, W, W.
Works over B♭ major or B♭ 5th chords in Spanish and Middle Eastern styles. The ♭2 adds a dark colour. Use it with B♭ major and B♭ 5th progressions. It also suits E♭ minor keys.
Learn Box 1 first. The root on string 4, fret 3 anchors the low end and the high root on string 1, fret 1 is easy to reach.
B♭ phrygian dominant in box 1 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 9 notes across 4 strings, from D on the C string at fret 2 up to D on the A string at fret 5. The root falls on the G string at fret 3.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 3, 4 | B♭, C♭ |
| 3 (C) | 2, 3, 5 | D, E♭, F |
| 2 (E) | 2, 4 | G♭, A♭ |
| 1 (A) | 2, 5 | C♭, D |
B♭ phrygian dominant in box 2 runs from fret 5 to fret 8, 10 notes across 4 strings, from F on the C string at fret 5 up to F on the A string at fret 8. The root falls on the E string at fret 6.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 7, 8 | D, E♭ |
| 3 (C) | 5, 6, 8 | F, G♭, A♭ |
| 2 (E) | 6, 7 | B♭, C♭ |
| 1 (A) | 5, 6, 8 | D, E♭, F |
B♭ phrygian dominant in box 3 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 11 notes across 4 strings, from A♭ on the C string at fret 8 up to A♭ on the A string at fret 11. The root falls on the C string at fret 10.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (G) | 8, 10, 11 | E♭, F, G♭ |
| 3 (C) | 8, 10, 11 | A♭, B♭, C♭ |
| 2 (E) | 10, 11 | D, E♭ |
| 1 (A) | 8, 9, 11 | F, G♭, A♭ |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
B♭, C♭, D, E♭, F, G♭, and A♭. It has a major third and flat second, sixth, and seventh. It is also spelled A♯ in enharmonic notation for the same sounding root.
B♭ major and B♭ 5th are the tonic chords. You can also use E♭ minor and G♭ augmented for colour.
The third is D instead of D♭. That makes the tonic chord major while keeping the flat second.
The root B♭ is on string 4, fret 3 and string 1, fret 1 in Box 1. Box 2 adds string 2, fret 6.