Phrygian Dominant Scale

Phrygian Dominant Scale

In music, the altered Phrygian scale or Freygish scale (also spelled Fraigish), featuring an unusual key signature and a distinctive augmented second interval, is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant. Also called the Phrygian dominant scale, harmonic minor perfect fifth below, dominant flat 2 flat 6 (in jazz), or simply the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, it's constructed by raising the third of the Phrygian mode and occurs commonly in Jewish, Greek, Turkish, Arab, Persian, and Flamenco music. Examples include some versions of "Hava Nagila" and "Misirlou", with other versions of those melodies using the closely related double harmonic scale. "The main chords used with this scale are," I, iv, and vii.

The scale is extremely common in Middle Eastern music, particularly Arabic and Egyptian music. It is also known as Ahava Rabbah or Freygish when used in Hebrew prayers and Klezmer music (earning it the additional title of the Jewish scale), as the Hijaz-Nahawand maqam when used in Turkish or Arabic music, or as Bidād in Dastgāh-e Homāyoun in Persian music. In North Indian classical music, this scale corresponds to the raga Basant Mukhari. In South Indian classical music, this scale is known as Vakulabharanam.

It is often known as a Spanish Phrygian scale, Spanish gypsy scale (see: gypsy scale) or Phrygian major scale (see: phrygian mode and major scale) as it is also commonly used in Flamenco music. The flatted second together with the augmented step between the second and third degrees of the scale create its distinctive mystical, exotic sound. For instance the E Phrygian dominant scale would be the notes E, F, G♯, A, B, C and D.

The sequence of steps comprising the Phrygian dominant scale is

• half – augmented – half – whole – half – whole – whole

When related to the scale degrees of the major scale, it reads like so:

1 - ♭2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - ♭6 - ♭7 - 1

Beginning on C, the scale is as follows: C - D♭ - E - F - G - A♭ - B♭ - C

When the Freygish scale is used in Klezmer music, the 6th degree may not be flattened if it is melodically approached and left from above.

Often, it has found application in modern progressive rock/metal, having been utilized most notably by Yngwie Malmsteen.