D blues scale
The D blues scale has 6 notes: D, F, G, A♭, A and C. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 and it is built with the steps W+H W H H W+H W.
Notes, formula and steps
The intervals from D are root (D), minor 3rd (F), perfect 4th (G), diminished 5th (A♭), perfect 5th (A) and minor 7th (C). Write down the step pattern W+H W H H W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half): it is the fingerprint of the blues scale, whatever the starting note. This scale has 1 flat: A♭.
How to play the D blues scale on piano
Start on D and play D, F, G, A♭, A and C going up, then come back down. Say the note names out loud while you play: it links the sound, the keys and the names. Practise hands separately first, slowly with the metronome, then speed up.
How to play the D blues scale on guitar
On guitar, the root D sits at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Start from one of these roots and play the notes of the fretboard map above in order, one string after another. The whole-neck view shows every place the D blues scale appears, so you can connect the positions instead of staying in one box.
Chords in the D blues scale
With only 6 notes, this scale does not produce a chord on every degree. It fits naturally over Dm, Dsus4, Ddim, Dm7 and Dm7♭5, which is why it is so popular for improvising.
Relative and parallel scales
The D blues scale is a close variant of the D minor pentatonic scale: same root and most of the same notes, with one or two altered degrees that give it its own colour. Its parallel scale, on the same root, is the D major scale. Moving between them is a classic way to change colour without changing key.
About the blues scale
The minor pentatonic plus one chromatic note, the ♭5, often called the blue note. That passing tritone gives the scale its gritty, bent, deliberately 'wrong' sound. Played in passing, the ♭5 adds instant attitude; held too long over the chord, it sounds like a mistake, and learning where to place it is the whole art of the blues scale.
Blues, rock, jazz, funk and soul: over a 12-bar blues (I7 IV7 V7), over minor vamps and over dominant 7 chords in general. Use the ♭5 as a passing note between the 4th and the 5th, in either direction, or bend the 4th up towards it. Resolve phrases on the root, the ♭3 or the ♭7.
On guitar, take minor pentatonic box 1 and add the ♭5 one fret above the 4th on the 5th string and on the 3rd string. Practise the chromatic run 4, ♭5, 5 up and down, then build licks around it. On piano, play right-hand phrases over a shuffle left hand that rocks between root-fifth and root-sixth, at a slow tempo first.
Formula 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7: six notes, the minor pentatonic plus the ♭5 (also spelt ♯4). The blues scale shown here is the common minor version; a 'major blues' (1 2 ♭3 3 5 6) also exists. Over a major-key blues, the scale's ♭3 and ♭7 clash with the chords on purpose: that friction is the blues sound.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes of the D blues scale?
The D blues scale has 6 notes: D, F, G, A♭, A and C. Formula: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the D blues scale?
It has 1 flat: A♭.
Which chords are in the D blues scale?
It fits over Dm, Dsus4, Ddim, Dm7 and Dm7♭5. As a 6-note scale it does not build a chord on every degree.
What is the relative of the D blues scale?
It is a variant of the D minor pentatonic scale, with one or two altered notes. Its parallel scale is the D major scale.
Related
- D minor pentatonic scale
- D major scale
- D natural minor scale
- D major pentatonic scale
- D Dorian mode
- D Mixolydian mode
- D harmonic minor scale
- A blues scale
- Dm
- Dsus4
- Ddim
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