D major pentatonic scale
D major pentatonic scale is D – E – F♯ – A – B, with F♯. Formula 1 2 3 5 6. Press play and follow the keys.
The notes, one step at a time
From D upward the gaps are W W W+H W W+H (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half). With no half steps, any two notes of it sound fine together. The wide steps are F♯–A and B–D.
| Degree | Note | Interval from D | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | root | |
| 2 | E | major second | |
| 3 | F♯ | major third | |
| 5 | A | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | B | major sixth |
How the major pentatonic scale sounds
Country licks, folk melodies and a lot of bright rock solos come from this shape. Over a D major chord every note of D major pentatonic is safe to land on.
Drop G and C♯ from D major and this is what's left. The five notes spell D6 and Dadd9 at the same time, which is why it sounds so open.
D major pentatonic scale is D major scale without G and C♯. Hear D major scale and compare.
Playing D major pentatonic
Keyboard players: one black (F♯), four white.
The guitar box starts with the root at the 10th fret of the low E string and spans frets 8–14: 12 notes, low string to high, two per string.
What to play it over
Five notes are too few to stack a chord on every degree, but these chords use only notes from the scale, so the scale fits over each of them: D, Dsus2, D6, Dadd9, Bm, Bm7, Esus2, Asus2, Esus4, Asus4, Bsus4.
Same notes, different home: B minor pentatonic (starting on the 5th note, B). Play any of them over a drone on its first note and the mood changes, even though the keys you press don't.
Moving it around the guitar
The root, D, sits at fret 10 on the low E string and 5 on the A string. Starting frets for the five shapes: 2, 5, 7, 10 and 12. Each shape shares its top notes with the next one up. With no half steps there are no clashing notes to avoid, which is why it is the first scale many guitarists improvise with.
On the piano, D major pentatonic scale uses 1 black key (F♯) and 4 white.
Try it in thirds to stop it sounding like an exercise: D–F♯, E–A, F♯–B, A–D, B–E, then back down.
Drills for D major pentatonic
Try these after the plain scale. Tap to hear each pattern at a steady speed, then play along.
- Three-note runs: D E F♯ · E F♯ A · F♯ A B · A B D.
- Target B: D B D B D: the 6th keeps it sweet, with no half steps anywhere.
Close relatives of D major pentatonic scale
Major pentatonic scale in every key
D major pentatonic scale: questions
What are the notes of the D major pentatonic scale?
5 notes: D, E, F♯, A and B.
How many sharps or flats are in the D major pentatonic scale?
One: F♯.
What's the difference between D major pentatonic scale and D major scale?
It leaves out G and C♯.
What chords go with the D major pentatonic scale?
Any chord built only from its notes, for example D, Dsus2, D6, Dadd9, Bm and Bm7.
Notes and fingering generated from the scale formula and checked automatically against the step pattern. Updated September 2026.