Blues scale · 6 notes
D♯ blues scale on guitar
The D♯ blues scale (D sharp blues scale) has 6 notes: D♯, F♯, G♯, A, A♯ and C♯. The minor pentatonic plus one “blue note”, the ♭5: six notes of pure blues. You may also see it written as E♭ blues, but D♯ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- D♯
- F♯
- G♯
- A
- A♯
- C♯
Formula
1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7
Steps
W+H – W – H – H – W+H – W
Sound
Gritty, crying and unmistakably bluesy
D♯ blues on the whole fretboard
Every D♯ blues note from the open strings to the 15th fret in standard tuning (E A D G B E). The root, D♯, is shown in red so you can always find home.
A shape to learn first
You don’t need the whole neck at once. This hand position is anchored on a root note on the 6th (low E) string, which is how most guitarists find a scale in any key.
Root on the 6th (low E) string
D♯ at fret 11. 11th position: frets 11–14.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of D♯ blues as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from D♯, the D♯ blues scale is built from these intervals. It contains 5 sharps (D♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and C♯).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D♯ | root | 0 |
| ♭3 | F♯ | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | G♯ | perfect 4th | 5 |
| ♭5 | A | diminished 5th | 6 |
| 5 | A♯ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| ♭7 | C♯ | minor 7th | 10 |
Chords that go with D♯ blues
A 6-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, E♭ minor. Every note of D♯ blues is in these chords’ key.
- iE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭
- ii°F°F · A♭ · C♭
- ♭IIIG♭G♭ · B♭ · D♭
- ivA♭mA♭ · C♭ · E♭
- vB♭mB♭ · D♭ · F
- ♭VIC♭C♭ · E♭ · G♭
- ♭VIID♭D♭ · F · A♭
Progressions to try
- E♭m – A♭m – B♭m i–iv–v · minor blues, from the parent minor key
- E♭m – C♭ – B♭m i–♭VI–v
How to use D♯ blues
Reach for it over 12-bar blues, blues-rock, and over dominant 7th chords and minor chords. Its sound is gritty, crying and unmistakably bluesy.
Tip: Treat the ♭5 as a passing note: slide or hammer through it on the way between the 4th and 5th rather than landing on it.
- The D♯ blues scale is E♭ minor pentatonic plus the “blue note” A. See E♭ minor pentatonic.
Where to find D♯ on every string
Knowing where the root sits lets you start this scale anywhere. Here is every D♯ between the open string and the 12th fret.
| String | Frets with D♯ |
|---|---|
| High E (1st) | 11 |
| B (2nd) | 4 |
| G (3rd) | 8 |
| D (4th) | 1 |
| A (5th) | 6 |
| Low E (6th) | 11 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as D♯ blues. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
D♯ blues scale FAQ
What notes are in the D♯ blues scale?
The D♯ blues scale has 6 notes: D♯, F♯, G♯, A, A♯ and C♯. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7. It contains 5 sharps (D♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and C♯).
What chords go with the D♯ blues scale?
The D♯ blues scale is drawn from E♭ minor, whose chords are E♭m, F°, G♭, A♭m, B♭m, C♭ and D♭. It also works over a D♯ blues built on dominant 7th chords.
Where do you play the D♯ blues scale on guitar?
The root, D♯, is at fret 11 on the low E string and fret 6 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 11–14, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as D♯ blues?
The D♯ blues scale is E♭ minor pentatonic plus the “blue note” A.