Phrygian dominant scale

Phrygian dominant scale (Ahavah Rabbah written)

In music, the Phrygian dominant scale (or the Phrygian ♮3 scale) is the actual fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant.<ref name="Hunter">Dave Hunter (2005). Play Acoustic, San Francisco: Backbeat, p. 226. Template:ISBN.</ref> It is also called the harmonic dominant, altered Phrygian scale, dominant flat 2 flat 6 (in jazz), or Freygish scale (also spelled Fraigish<ref name="W&F">Dick Weissman, Dan Fox (2009). A Guide to Non-Jazz Improvisation, guitar edition, Pacific, Missouri: Mel Bay, p. 130. Template:ISBN.</ref>). It resembles the Phrygian mode but with a major third, rather than a minor third. The augmented second between its second and third scale degrees gives it an "Arabic" or Middle Eastern feeling to Western listeners.

In the Berklee method, it is known as the Mixolydian Template:Music9 Template:Music13 chord scale, a Mixolydian scale with a lowered 9th (2nd) and lowered 13th (6th), used in secondary dominant chord scales for V⁷/III and V⁷/VI.

ConstructionEdit

Built on C, the scale is as follows.

<score sound="1"> {

\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c' {

 \clef treble \time 7/4
 c4^\markup { Phrygian dominant scale on C } des e f g aes bes c2

} } </score> When related to the scale degrees of the major scale, it reads:

1 – Template:Music2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – Template:Music6 – Template:Music7 – 1

The sequence of steps forming the Phrygian dominant scale is:

half – augmented second – half – whole – half – whole – whole

Traditional useEdit

This scale occurs in Indian, Middle Eastern, Balkan, Greek music, Eastern European, Central Asian, and flamenco music. It is also present in Arabic and Egyptian music, in which it is called Hijaz-Nahawand or Hijaz maqam,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> but is not so frequent. The scale is used in Hebrew prayers and Klezmer music as well, where it is known as Ahava Rabbah, Freygish or just the "Jewish scale", and is called Dastgāh-e Homāyoun in Iran.Template:Citation needed It is the most common scale in North Indian classical raga Hijaz Bhairav (Basant Mukhari) and South Indian raga Vakulabharanam.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

It is sometimes called the Spanish Phrygian scale, Spanish Gypsy scale (see: gypsy scale) or Phrygian major scale (see: phrygian mode and major scale) and is common in flamenco music.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It can also be found in traditional Spanish songs outside flamenco, everywhere in Spain to varying amounts, but especially in southern and central areas of the country, often being also known as escala andaluza (Andalusian scale) in Spanish.<ref name=Criville>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Related scales in Spanish traditional music with chromatic notes in the second degree, varying between a semitone and a tone, are also known as "gama española" ("Spanish gamut") or "gama de Castilla y León" (gamut of Castile and León) and, though found all over Spain, are particularly common in Castilian and Leonese traditional songs.<ref name=Criville />

The flatted second and the augmented second between the second and third scale degrees of the scale create its distinctive sound. Examples include some versions of "Hava Nagila",<ref name="Hunter"/> "Sha Shtil" and "Misirlou", while other versions of those melodies use the closely related "double harmonic scale".<ref name="W&F"/> The main chords derived from this scale are I, [[supertonic|Template:MusicII]], iv, and vii.<ref name="W&F"/>

When the Freygish scale is used in Klezmer music, the sixth degree may be left unflatted if it is melodically approached and left from above,<ref>Ilana Cravitz (January 2004) Klezmer – Modes and Scales", ManchesterKlezmer.org at archive.org (Accessed 23 November 2014).</ref> or the seventh degree may be raised as well.

The Phrygian dominant scale is often used in jazz composition and improvisation over secondary dominants of minor chords in a major key, such as the VI⁷ chord in a VI⁷-ii⁷-V⁷-I progression. Some modal jazz compositions, such as "Nardis" by Miles Davis, are composed in the Phrygian dominant mode.

NotesEdit

Template:Reflist

Phrygian dominant scale

Contents

ConstructionEdit

Traditional useEdit

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

Further readingEdit