The Phrygian Dominant Bebop Scale - Guitar Diagrams, Theory, Jazz Concepts, Exercises and Lines

What's The Phrygian Dominant Bebop Scale?

The Phrygian dominant bebop scale contains eight tones just like all the bebop scales. It is built the same as the Phrygian dominant scale, the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, but with an additional note, a natural seventh (7) between the b7 and the root (1). The Phrygian dominant scale interval pattern is 1 - b2 (b9) - 3 - 4 (11) - 5 - b6 (b13) - b7 - 7. 

Differences Between The Main Phrygian Modes

There are two other types of Phrygian scales :

• The Phrygian mode, the third mode of the major scale. The formula is 1 - b9 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b6 - b7
• The Phrygian b4 scale, third mode of the harmonic major scale is spelled 1 - b2 - b3 - b4 - 5 - b6 - b7

Phrygian Dominant Bebop Scale Guitar Diagrams

The two shapes below show you how to play the Phrygian dominant bebop scale on guitar. Indeed, there are several possibilities of fingerings, don't hesitate to experiment you own.

Phrygian Dominant Bebop Exercises

The examples below are based on the G Phrygian dominant bebop scale (G - Ab -B - C - D - Eb - F - F#). 

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

The Phrygian Dominant bebop scale is generally played over a VI7b9 chord, at the end of a jazz blues progression (I7 - VI7b9 - iim7 - V7) or over the rhythm changes turnaround  (Imaj7 - VI7b9 - iim7 - V7). Indeed, the tones of a 7b9 chord (1-3-5-b7-b9) match perfectly with the Phrygian dominant bebop scale.

Phrygian Dominant Bebop Licks

This first example show how to play the Phrygian dominant bebop scale over the VI7b9 chord a rhythm changes turnaround. As you see you will be playing a Bb major 7 arpeggio (Bb - D - F - A) with an added 13th (G) over Bbmaj7, the C Dorian mode (C-D-Eb-F-G-A-Bb) over Cm7 and notes from F Mixolydian (F-G-A-Bb-C-D-Eb) over F7.

This second line can be found at the end of a Bb jazz blues progression. Three scales and one arpeggio are used :

• Bb7 Mixolydian (Bb-C-D-Eb-F-G-Ab) over the I7 chord Bb7.
• G Phrygian dominant bebop over the VI7 chord.
• C minor blues (C-Eb-F-G-Bb-B-C) over the iim7 chord (Cm7).
• F9 arpeggio (F-A-C-D-Eb) over F9.

Relationship With Diminished 7 Chords - Jazz Concepts

The Phrygian dominant bebop scale contains a diminished 7 arpeggio. As matter of fact, the flat ninth (b9), third (3), fifth (5) and minor seventh (b7) represent the degrees of a diminished 7 arpeggio (1-b3-b5-bb7).

Diminished 7th arpeggios are symmetrical, they are made of minor thirds (3 semitones, 3 frets on the guitar). This means that the four tones of a diminished 7 arpeggio can produce four dim7 chords. For example Ab diminished 7 is built with Ab - B - D - F. Each tone of Abdim7 generates a dim7 chord :

• Bdim7 (B - D - F - Ab)
• Ddim7 (D - F - Ab - B)
• Fdim7 (F - Ab - B - D)

All this is to say that  you can play a G Phrygian dominant bebop scale over Abdim7, Bdim7, Ddim7 and Fdim7. In other word, you can use the Phrygian dominant bebop scale starting :

• a half step (1 semitone) below the root note of a dim7 chord.

• Two whole steps (4 semitones) below the root note of a dim7 chord.

• Five semitones above the root note of a dim7 chord.

• A whole step (2 semitones) above the root note of a dim7 chord.

• 

  101 Dominant Arpeggio Patterns NEW

  This printable PDF guitar lesson provides 101 dominant arpeggio exercises with tab, theory and standard notation for the jazz, blues and rock guitarist.
• 

  40 Major Jazz Guitar Licks NEW

  Printable PDF eBook containing 40 major jazz guitar licks with tab, standard notation and audio files for beginners and intermediates.
• 

  49 Essential Jazz Lines

  This printable eBook in PDF format provides 49 jazz solo transcriptions of the greatest jazz musicians of all times with TABS, standard notation, audio files and analysis both for guitar teachers and students.
• 

  Mastering Pentatonic Scales

  This jazz guitar method is an eBook available as a PDF with standard notation, guitar tabs, diagrams, analysis, audio files and backing tracks. You will find in this booklet 25 easy jazz guitar lines with theory using common and rare pentatonic scales.
• 

  20 II-V-I jazz guitar licks

  This method is a printable PDF eBook containing 20 II-V-I jazz guitar lines with tabs and audio files both in major and minor keys
• 

  50 II-V-I voicings

  Jazz guitar comping. How to play II-V-I chord progressions on guitar with drop 2, drop 3 chords, rootless and inverted voicings. This method is a printable PDF eBook containing 50 exercises with analysis, tabs & standard notation.
• 

  11 blues jazz studies

  This PDF method contains 11 guitar lessons with chord studies, tabs, standard notation, analysis & audio files about the main blues progressions used in jazz music.
• 

  Mastering the altered scale

  This PDF eBook method contains 25 altered jazz guitar licks with tabs, patterns, scale charts and audio files to master, apply and develop the altered scale.
• 

  40 Blues Dominant patterns

  This printable method is available as a PDF file containing 40 easy dominant jazz-blues guitar lines with tabs, standard notation, analysis, audio files and scale charts.
• 

  25 Soul Jazz Guitar Licks

  You will find here an eBook available in PDF containing 25 soul jazz and hard bop guitar licks in the style of Grant Green, Melvin Sparks, George Benson. These jazz lines come with tabs, standard notation, guitar neck diagrams, backing track for practice and 25 audio files for each riff.
• 

  25 Diminished Patterns

  This eBook PDF contains 25 dominant diminished jazz guitar patterns using the half-whole diminished scale and diminished 7th arpeggios.
• 

  6 Tritone substitution licks

  The tritone substitution is explained through 6 jazz guitar licks with tabs/notation, youtube video links. Printable PDF eBook.
• 

  5 Jazz Blues Arpeggios

  This printable PDF eBook file contains 5 jazz blues studies using only arpeggios.