D melodic minor scale
D melodic minor scale is D – E – F – G – A – B – C♯, with C♯. Formula 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
The notes, one step at a time
From D upward the gaps are W H W W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step). The half steps fall between E–F and C♯–D.
| Degree | Note | Interval from D | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | root | |
| 2 | E | major second | |
| ♭3 | F | minor third | |
| 4 | G | perfect fourth | |
| 5 | A | perfect fifth | |
| 6 | B | major sixth | |
| 7 | C♯ | major seventh |
How the melodic minor scale sounds
With the 6th and 7th raised, D melodic minor is only one note away from D major: the minor 3rd. It climbs smoothly to the top without harmonic minor's big gap.
Coming down, classical players switch to the natural form: D – C – B♭ – A – G – F – E – D. Jazz keeps B and C♯ both ways.
Compared with D natural minor scale, D melodic minor scale has B and C♯ where the other has B♭ and C; the other five notes are shared. Hear D natural minor scale and compare.
Playing D melodic minor
On the piano it uses one black key (C♯) and six white.
On guitar the root sits at the 10th fret of the low E string. The box above covers frets 8–14 and holds 18 notes of the scale across all six strings; play it low string to high.
Chords built on each note
Stack every other note of the scale on each degree and you get 7 chords. These are the chords that fit D melodic minor scale; the ones that differ from the major set are what give the scale its color. Tap to hear each one.
D melodic minor scale across the fretboard
The root, D, sits at fret 10 on the low E string and 5 on the A string. Five overlapping fingerings cover the neck, starting near frets 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12 on the low E string. Classical teaching plays it with the raised notes going up and natural minor coming down; jazz players keep it the same both ways.
On the piano, D melodic minor scale uses 1 black key (C♯) and 6 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's D–F, E–G, F–A, G–B, A–C♯, B–D, C♯–E.
Drills for D melodic minor
Once D melodic minor is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 7 notes.
- Up in threes: D E F · E F G · F G A · G A B · A B C♯ · B C♯ D.
- Land on B: D B D B D: the raised 6th and 7th make the top half sound major.
Scales to compare with D melodic minor
Melodic minor scale in every key
D melodic minor scale: questions
What are the notes of the D melodic minor scale?
D, E, F, G, A, B and C♯, then D again at the octave. Formula: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.
How many sharps or flats are in the D melodic minor scale?
One: C♯.
What chords are in the D melodic minor scale?
Stacking thirds on each note gives Dm (i), Em (ii), Faug (III+), G (IV), A (V), Bdim (vi°) and C♯dim (vii°).
What's the difference between D melodic minor scale and D natural minor scale?
B and C♯ in D melodic minor; B♭ and C in the other. Everything else is the same.
Notes and fingering generated from the scale formula and checked automatically against the step pattern. Updated September 2026.