Major Pentatonic scale · 5 notes
D major pentatonic scale on guitar
The D 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.
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 10. 10th position: frets 10–13.
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 1 sharp (F♯).
| 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.
- IDD · F♯ · A
- iiEmE · G · B
- iiiF♯mF♯ · A · C♯
- IVGG · B · D
- VAA · C♯ · E
- viBmB · D · F♯
- vii°C♯°C♯ · E · G
Progressions to try
- D – G – A I–IV–V · country, rock
- D – A – Bm – G I–V–vi–IV · pop
- D – Bm – 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) | 10 |
| B (2nd) | 3 |
| G (3rd) | 7 |
| D (4th) | 0, 12 |
| A (5th) | 5 |
| Low E (6th) | 10 |
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 1 sharp (F♯).
What chords go with the D major pentatonic scale?
The D major pentatonic scale is drawn from D major, whose chords are D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm and C♯°.
Where do you play the D major pentatonic scale on guitar?
The root, D, is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. A good first shape covers frets 10–13, 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.