Guitar scale · jazz minor
D Melodic Minor Scale
Natural minor with raised 6th and 7th degrees. Foundational to modern jazz and fusion.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Melodic Minor 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|-------------------------------------------10-12-13-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------10-12-14----------------| D|-------------------11-12-14-------------------------| A|----------10-12-14----------------------------------| E|-10-12-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-13-15-| B|-------------------------------------14-15----------| G|----------------------------12-14-16----------------| D|-------------------12-14-15-------------------------| A|----------12-14-16----------------------------------| E|-12-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-| B|----------------------------------15-17-18-------| G|-------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|----------------14-15-17-------------------------| A|-------14-16-17----------------------------------| E|-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-21-| B|-------------------------------------18-20----------| G|----------------------------18-19-21----------------| D|-------------------17-19-21-------------------------| A|----------17-19-20----------------------------------| E|-17-19-21-------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------------------19-21-22-| B|----------------------------------20-22----------| G|-------------------------19-21-22----------------| D|-------------------19-21-------------------------| A|----------19-20-22-------------------------------| E|-19-21-22----------------------------------------|
How to play D Melodic Minor 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 | E |
| ♭3 | F |
| 4 | G |
| 5 | A |
| 6 | B |
| 7 | C# |
Chords in D Melodic Minor
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Melodic Minor; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Dm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ii | Em | Em7 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Faug | Fmaj7#5 | Mediant |
| IV | G | G7 | Subdominant |
| V | A | A7 | Dominant |
| vi° | Bdim | Bm7b5 | Submediant |
| vii° | C#dim | C#m7b5 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Melodic Minor 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 Melodic Minor Scale?
- The D Melodic Minor Scale has 7 notes: D, E, F, G, A, B, C#.
- What chords are in the D Melodic Minor Scale?
- The chords of D Melodic Minor are Dm (i), Em (ii), Faug (♭III+), G (IV), A (V), Bdim (vi°), C#dim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the melodic minor scale?
- 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern W H W W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Melodic Minor 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.