Guitar scale · Ionian mode
D Major Scale
Bright, balanced major scale forming the foundation of Western music and pop/rock.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Major 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|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------11-12-14----------------| D|-------------------11-12-14-------------------------| A|----------10-12-14----------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------14-15----------| G|----------------------------12-14-16----------------| D|-------------------12-14-16-------------------------| A|----------12-14-16----------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-17-| B|-------------------------------------15-17----------| G|----------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|-------------------14-16-17-------------------------| A|----------14-16-17----------------------------------| E|-14-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-21-| B|-------------------------------------19-20----------| G|----------------------------18-19-21----------------| D|-------------------17-19-21-------------------------| A|----------17-19-21----------------------------------| E|-17-19-21-------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------19-21-22-| B|-------------------------------19-20-22----------| G|-------------------------19-21-------------------| D|-------------------19-21-------------------------| A|----------19-21-22-------------------------------| E|-19-21-22----------------------------------------|
How to play D Major 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.
D major shares all its notes with B minor, its relative minor. See the B Minor Scale.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | D |
| 2 | E |
| 3 | F# |
| 4 | G |
| 5 | A |
| 6 | B |
| 7 | C# |
Chords in D Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | D | Dmaj7 | Tonic |
| ii | Em | Em7 | Supertonic |
| iii | F#m | F#m7 | Mediant |
| IV | G | Gmaj7 | Subdominant |
| V | A | A7 | Dominant |
| vi | Bm | Bm7 | Submediant |
| vii° | C#dim | C#m7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Major 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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- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
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- 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
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Major Scale?
- The D Major Scale has 7 notes: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#.
- What chords are in the D Major Scale?
- The chords of D Major are D (I), Em (ii), F#m (iii), G (IV), A (V), Bm (vi), C#dim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Major 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.