Guitar scale · pentatonic & blues
D Major Pentatonic Scale
Sweet 5-note major scale used for uplifting melodies in country, southern rock, and acoustic pop.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Major Pentatonic 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|----------------------10-12-| B|----------------10-12-------| G|-------------11-------------| D|----------12----------------| A|-------12-------------------| E|-10-12----------------------|
e|----------------------------12-14-| B|----------------------12-15-------| G|-------------------14-------------| D|-------------12-14----------------| A|-------12-14----------------------| E|-12-14----------------------------|
e|-------------------------------14-17-| B|-------------------------15-17-------| G|-------------------14-16-------------| D|-------------14-16-------------------| A|-------14-17-------------------------| E|-14-17-------------------------------|
e|-------------------------17-19-| B|-------------------17-19-------| G|----------------19-------------| D|-------------19----------------| A|-------17-19-------------------| E|-17-19-------------------------|
e|-------------------------------19-22-| B|-------------------------19-22-------| G|-------------------19-21-------------| D|-------------19-21-------------------| A|-------19-21-------------------------| E|-19-22-------------------------------|
How to play D Major Pentatonic 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), 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 10–13. 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.
D major pentatonic has the same five notes as B minor pentatonic, so the same box shapes work for both. See the B Minor Pentatonic Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | D |
| 2 | E |
| 3 | F# |
| 5 | A |
| 6 | B |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Major Pentatonic 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.
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One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Major Pentatonic Scale?
- The D Major Pentatonic Scale has 5 notes: D, E, F#, A, B.
- What is the formula of the major pentatonic scale?
- 1 2 3 5 6, which is the step pattern W W W+H W W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Major Pentatonic 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 10–13, and four more positions connect it up the neck.