Major Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
D♭ major pentatonic scale on guitar
The D♭ major pentatonic scale (D flat major pentatonic scale) has 5 notes: D♭, E♭, F, A♭ and B♭. The sweet, singable five-note scale behind country licks, Southern rock and pop hooks. You may also see it written as C♯ major pentatonic, but D♭ is the usual spelling because it needs fewer accidentals.
Notes
- D♭
- E♭
- F
- A♭
- B♭
Formula
1 2 3 5 6
Steps
W – W – W+H – W – W+H
Sound
Sweet, open and happy
D♭ major pentatonic on the whole fretboard
Every D♭ major pentatonic 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 9. 9th position: frets 9–12.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of D♭ major pentatonic as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from D♭, the D♭ major pentatonic scale is built from these intervals. It contains 4 flats (D♭, E♭, A♭ and B♭).
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D♭ | root | 0 |
| 2 | E♭ | major 2nd | 2 |
| 3 | F | major 3rd | 4 |
| 5 | A♭ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| 6 | B♭ | major 6th | 9 |
Chords that go with D♭ major pentatonic
A 5-note scale doesn’t make a full set of triads, so guitarists use the chords of its parent scale, D♭ major. Every note of D♭ major pentatonic is in these chords’ key.
- ID♭D♭ · F · A♭
- iiE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭
- iiiFmF · A♭ · C
- IVG♭G♭ · B♭ · D♭
- VA♭A♭ · C · E♭
- viB♭mB♭ · D♭ · F
- vii°C°C · E♭ · G♭
Progressions to try
- D♭ – G♭ – A♭ I–IV–V · country, rock
- D♭ – A♭ – B♭m – G♭ I–V–vi–IV · pop
- D♭ – B♭m – G♭ – A♭ I–vi–IV–V
How to use D♭ major pentatonic
Reach for it over major-key songs, country, Southern rock and pop, and over major chords and major blues. Its sound is sweet, open and happy.
Tip: The major pentatonic uses the same shapes as the minor pentatonic three frets lower. G major pentatonic is E minor pentatonic with G as home.
- D♭ major pentatonic has the same five notes as B♭ minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes. See B♭ 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) | 9 |
| B (2nd) | 2 |
| G (3rd) | 6 |
| D (4th) | 11 |
| A (5th) | 4 |
| Low E (6th) | 9 |
Same notes, different name
These scales from the Scale Finder library contain exactly the same notes as D♭ major pentatonic. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
D♭ major pentatonic scale FAQ
What notes are in the D♭ major pentatonic scale?
The D♭ major pentatonic scale has 5 notes: D♭, E♭, F, A♭ and B♭. Its formula is 1 2 3 5 6. It contains 4 flats (D♭, E♭, A♭ and B♭).
What chords go with the D♭ major pentatonic scale?
The D♭ major pentatonic scale is drawn from D♭ major, whose chords are D♭, E♭m, Fm, G♭, A♭, B♭m and C°.
Where do you play the D♭ major pentatonic scale on guitar?
The root, D♭, is at fret 9 on the low E string and fret 4 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 9–12, starting from the root on the 6th string.
Which scales share the same notes as D♭ major pentatonic?
D♭ major pentatonic has the same five notes as B♭ minor pentatonic: the shapes are the same, only the home note changes.