Here's a very cool sounding scale that doesn't get used a whole lot by guitarists. Not only is it a scale that can be used for playing great solos, but it works well as the basis for guitar riffs to create songs around.

Before we get started working on how to play and use the phrygian dominant, we should make sure we understand what the scale sounds like (listen to a midi file of the D phrygian dominant scale). It has a very middle-eastern quality, and is often a popular scale choice for rock guitarists looking to impart that flavor to their music. Bands like Canada's The Tea Party use the phrygian dominant scale extensively. You'll also hear Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page ocassionally use the phrygian dominant scale.

The Notes:

The graphic above is the notes in a D phrygian dominant scale. Notice the unusually large interval between the 2nd and 3rd note of the scale; this leap is what gives the scale much of it's characteristic sound. Try playing this scale up one string, starting on the open 4th(D) string. Alternately, you could start the scale on the 3rd(G) string, starting at the seventh fret, using the open D string as a 'drone'; playing both strings at once. Your goal should be to memorize the distance between each note in the scale, so you can play it on any string, in any key.

Got it? Once you understand the above, try moving on to playing the Phrygian Dominant scale.

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