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Fig. 1 · Db Phrygian on the keyboard

piano scale

D♭ Phrygian

D♭1E♭♭♭2F♭♭3G♭4A♭5B♭♭♭6C♭♭7

Minor with a flattened second — the half step right above the tonic is the whole character.

The same sounds spelled from the other side are C♯ Phrygian.

on guitaron ukulele

Written out

Fig. 2 · Db Phrygian, ascending

Every accidental is written in, rather than left to a key signature, so the letters can be read one at a time.

The step pattern

D♭HE♭♭WF♭WG♭WA♭HB♭♭WC♭WD♭

What is true of it

D♭ Phrygian is D♭, E♭♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭♭ and C♭, and back to D♭.

Its steps are H – W – W – W – H – W – W, where W is a whole step and H a half.

Written correctly it needs 9 alterations, E♭♭ and B♭♭ among them. That is what the letters force, and it is also why nobody writes music in this key: the same notes spelled from the other side are easier to read.

On the same tonic, D♭ natural minor differs from it by exactly one note.

Chords made only of these notes

D♭mminorD♭m7minor seventhG♭mminorG♭m7minor seventhA♭dimdiminishedA♭m7♭5half-diminished seventh

Found by testing every chord in the catalogue against these 7 sounds, not chosen.

Other scales on D♭

D♭ DorianmodeD♭ LydianmodeD♭ MixolydianmodeD♭ majormajorD♭ natural minorminorD♭ harmonic minorminor

C phrD phrD♯ phrE♭ phrE phrF phrF♯ phrG♭ phrall 374