Formula
- Degrees: 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7.
- Steps: S 1½ S T S T T (1 3 1 2 1 2 2 semitones).
- Parent scale: 5th mode of harmonic minor. E Phrygian dominant = notes of A harmonic minor starting on E: E F G# A B C D.
- On A: A Bb C# D E F G (from D harmonic minor). On C: C Db E F G Ab Bb (from F harmonic minor).
Alternative names: major Phrygian, Spanish Phrygian, freygish (klezmer), Ahava Rabbah (Jewish prayer), hijaz (tempered approximation of the maqam), escala andaluza; in the Berklee method Mixolydian b9 b13.
Characteristic note and color
It is Phrygian with a major 3rd: the b2 and the 3 form an augmented 2nd (F – G# in E). Color: Spanish, Middle Eastern, flamenco, dramatic. It is also the dominant chord with b9 and b13 of a minor key: E7(b9, b13) in A minor.
Diatonic chords (E Phrygian dominant)
| Degree | Triad | Seventh |
|---|---|---|
| I | E | E7 |
| bII | F | Fmaj7 |
| iii° | G#° | G#°7 |
| iv | Am | Am(maj7) |
| v° | B° | Bø7 |
| bVI+ | C+ | Cmaj7#5 |
| bvii | Dm | Dm7 |
Typical moves: I – bII – I (E – F – E), I – bvii – bVI – bII – I, and the Andalusian cadence seen from E: Am – G – F – E, in which E is the Phrygian-dominant tonic (the natural G of G major is the “passing” b3, typical of flamenco, which alternates G and G#).
Two functions
- Modal tonic: entire pieces “on E” (flamenco por arriba, klezmer freygish, Arabic and Balkan music).
- Dominant of the minor key: over E7 → Am, Phrygian dominant supplies the b9 (F) and b13 (C), the tensions that prepare the minor tonic. It is the standard choice over V7b9 in minor in jazz.
Use in genres
- Flamenco: the harmonic basis of soleá, bulerías, seguiriyas (Andalusian cadence and “toque por arriba” in E, “por medio” in A).
- Surf rock: “Misirlou” (Dick Dale version, 1962), in E: some versions use Phrygian dominant, others the double harmonic scale.
- Klezmer and Jewish music: “Hava Nagila” (various versions), “Sha Shtil”; freygish is the most characteristic mode of klezmer.
- Jazz: “Nardis” (Miles Davis, made famous by Bill Evans) is a modal composition in this color.
- Metal: “Eastern” riffs on the E string with F and G#; neoclassical metal from the 5th degree of harmonic minor.
- Indian music: ragas Basant Mukhari / Hijaz Bhairav (north) and Vakulabharanam (south).
- Film and video game music: deserts, the Middle East, Spain, “exoticism”.
Melodies
- b2 – 1 and 3 – b2 – 1 (G# – F – E) are the typical melodic cadences.
- The exposed leap b2 – 3 (F – G#) is the “trademark” of the scale.
Common mistakes
- Thinking that the Hijaz maqam is the same as Phrygian dominant: Hijaz has untempered intonation and its own melodic path (see the entry on maqam).
- Using the minor 3rd (G) and the major 3rd (G#) without intention: in flamenco the alternation is deliberate, elsewhere it sounds like a mistake.
- Using it over a V7 that resolves to a major tonic (G7 → C): the b13 (Eb) contradicts the major 3rd of the target chord (E); there Mixolydian or, for more tension, the altered scale is often preferred.
Exercise
- Loop Am – G – F – E (Andalusian cadence) with nylon guitar (or Piano V): improvise with A Aeolian over the first three chords and E Phrygian dominant over E.
- Riff on E alternating E5 and F5, with the melody E – F – G# – A – G# – F – E.
- In D minor: Eø7 – A7b9 – Dm. Over A7b9 play A Bb C# D E F G.
Related
Harmonic minor and its modes; Phrygian mode; Double harmonic scale; Tetrachords; Maqam: introduction; Dorian #4.