D major scale
The D major scale has 7 notes: D, E, F♯, G, A, B and C♯. Its formula is 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and it is built with the steps W W H W W W H.
Notes, formula and steps
The intervals from D are root (D), major 2nd (E), major 3rd (F♯), perfect 4th (G), perfect 5th (A), major 6th (B) and major 7th (C♯). Write down the step pattern W W H W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half): it is the fingerprint of the major scale, whatever the starting note. This scale has 2 sharps: F♯ and C♯.
How to play the D major scale on piano
Start on D and play D, E, F♯, G, A, B 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 major 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 major scale appears, so you can connect the positions instead of staying in one box.
Chords in the D major scale
Stacking every other note of the scale gives one chord per degree: D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm and C♯dim. These are the chords you can combine to write a progression that stays in the D major scale.
Relative and parallel scales
The D major scale shares its notes with the B natural minor scale: same notes, different starting point and a different mood. Its parallel scale, on the same root, is the D natural minor scale. Switching between them is a classic way to change colour without changing key.
About the major scale
Bright, stable and resolved, the major scale is the reference sound of Western music, the do re mi everyone can sing. Its character comes from the major third and from the major seventh, the leading tone a semitone below the octave that pulls strongly back to the root. Nothing in it sounds exotic: it is the sound of home.
Every style relies on it: pop, rock, country, folk and classical melodies, and the harmony of most songs. Play it over the I, IV and V chords of its key and over progressions such as I V vi IV or ii V I. Over the V7 chord, aim for the 4th and 7th degrees: they resolve to the 3rd and the root of I.
On piano, play one octave hands separately with the standard fingering (for most white-key scales, right hand 1 2 3, thumb under, 1 2 3 4 5), then two octaves, then hands together. On guitar, learn one position with the root on the 6th string, then one with the root on the 5th string. Sing the degree numbers while you play, then improvise short phrases that end on the root.
Seven notes, step pattern W W H W W W H. It is made of two identical four-note groups (W W H) joined by a whole step. Stacked in thirds, it gives the diatonic chords I ii iii IV V vi vii°, and every mode is this same major scale started on another degree. Its key signature follows the circle of fifths.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes of the D major scale?
The D major scale has 7 notes: D, E, F♯, G, A, B and C♯. Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the D major scale?
It has 2 sharps: F♯ and C♯.
Which chords are in the D major scale?
One chord per degree: D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm and C♯dim.
What is the relative of the D major scale?
It shares its notes with the B natural minor scale. Its parallel scale is the D natural minor scale.
Related
- B natural minor scale
- D natural minor scale
- D minor pentatonic scale
- D major pentatonic scale
- D blues scale
- D Dorian mode
- D Mixolydian mode
- D harmonic minor scale
- D
- Dsus2
- Dsus4
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