Guitar scale · exotic
D Enigmatic Scale
1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7: an unusual scale: a half step, an augmented 2nd, three whole steps, then two half steps. Also called Scala enigmatica.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Enigmatic Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-------------------------------------------10-11-14-| B|----------------------------------11-13-14----------| G|----------------------------11-13-------------------| D|----------------10-11-12-13-------------------------| A|----------11-13-------------------------------------| E|-10-11-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-| B|-------------------------------13-14-15-16-------| G|-------------------------13-15-------------------| D|----------------12-13-16-------------------------| A|-------13-15-16----------------------------------| E|-14-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-16-18-| B|-------------------------------------15-16----------| G|----------------------------15-17-18----------------| D|----------------------16-18-------------------------| A|----------15-16-17-18-------------------------------| E|-14-16-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------18-20-21-| B|-------------------------------------19-21----------| G|-------------------------17-18-19-20----------------| D|-------------------18-20----------------------------| A|----------17-18-21----------------------------------| E|-18-20-21-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------20-21-22-| B|-------------------------19-21----------| G|-------------------19-20----------------| D|-------------20-22----------------------| A|----------21----------------------------| E|-20-21-22-------------------------------|
How to play D Enigmatic on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, ♯5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 10–14. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | D |
| ♭2 | Eb |
| 3 | F# |
| ♯4 | G# |
| ♯5 | A# |
| ♯6 | B# |
| 7 | C# |
Chords in D Enigmatic
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Enigmatic; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I+ | Daug | Dmaj7#5 | Tonic |
| ♭II | — | — | Supertonic |
| III | F# | — | Mediant |
| ♯IV | — | — | Subdominant |
| ♯V | — | — | Dominant |
| ♯VI | — | — | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Enigmatic anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
- A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
- No subscription, ads removed
Questions
- What notes are in the D Enigmatic Scale?
- The D Enigmatic Scale has 7 notes: D, Eb, F#, G#, A#, B#, C#.
- What chords are in the D Enigmatic Scale?
- The chords of D Enigmatic are Daug (I+), F# (III).
- What is the formula of the enigmatic scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 ♯4 ♯5 ♯6 7, which is the step pattern H W+H W W W H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Enigmatic on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.