Melodic Minor scale · 7 notes
D♭ melodic minor scale on guitar
The D♭ melodic minor scale (D flat melodic minor scale) has 7 notes: D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and C. A major scale with a ♭3: the jazz musician’s minor scale. You may also see it written as C♯ melodic minor.
Notes
- D♭
- E♭
- F♭
- G♭
- A♭
- B♭
- C
Formula
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
Steps
W – H – W – W – W – W – H
Sound
Smooth, sophisticated and bittersweet
D♭ melodic minor on the whole fretboard
Every D♭ melodic minor 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. 8th position: frets 8–12.
In the Guitar Scale Finder app you also get the chords of D♭ melodic minor as chord diagrams, and can search all 1,860 scales for the notes you play.
Intervals and formula
Measured from D♭, the D♭ melodic minor scale is built from these intervals. It contains 6 flats (D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭ and B♭). Compared with D♭ major, it has F♭ (♭3) instead of F.
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D♭ | root | 0 |
| 2 | E♭ | major 2nd | 2 |
| ♭3 | F♭ | minor 3rd | 3 |
| 4 | G♭ | perfect 4th | 5 |
| 5 | A♭ | perfect 5th | 7 |
| 6 | B♭ | major 6th | 9 |
| 7 | C | major 7th | 11 |
Chords in D♭ melodic minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get one chord on each degree. These are the chords that “belong” to D♭ melodic minor: any of them will sound at home under a melody in D♭ melodic minor.
- iD♭mD♭ · F♭ · A♭D♭m(maj7)
- iiE♭mE♭ · G♭ · B♭E♭m7
- ♭III+F♭+F♭ · A♭ · CF♭+maj7
- IVG♭G♭ · B♭ · D♭G♭7
- VA♭A♭ · C · E♭A♭7
- vi°B♭°B♭ · D♭ · F♭B♭m7♭5
- vii°C°C · E♭ · G♭Cm7♭5
Progressions to try
- D♭m – G♭ i–IV · minor with a major IV
- E♭m – A♭ – D♭m ii–V–i
- D♭m – A♭ i–V
How to use D♭ melodic minor
Reach for it over minor 6th and minor(maj7) chords, jazz, fusion and modern film music. Its sound is smooth, sophisticated and bittersweet.
Tip: Think of it as the major scale with one note changed. C melodic minor is C major with E♭ instead of E.
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♭ melodic minor. They sound different because a different note is treated as home.
D♭ melodic minor scale FAQ
What notes are in the D♭ melodic minor scale?
The D♭ melodic minor scale has 7 notes: D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭, B♭ and C. Its formula is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7. It contains 6 flats (D♭, E♭, F♭, G♭, A♭ and B♭).
What chords are in D♭ melodic minor?
Harmonising the D♭ melodic minor scale in thirds gives D♭m (i), E♭m (ii), F♭+ (♭III+), G♭ (IV), A♭ (V), B♭° (vi°) and C° (vii°).
Where do you play the D♭ melodic minor 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 8–12, starting from the root on the 6th string.