D♯ blues scale (E♭ blues)
D♯ blues scale is D♯ – F♯ – G♯ – A – A♯ – C♯, with D♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and C♯. Formula 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7. Play it, then slow the tempo until every note is clear.
The notes, one step at a time
Counted in steps it goes W+H W H H W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step, W+H = a step and a half). The half steps fall between G♯–A and A–A♯. The wide steps are D♯–F♯ and A♯–C♯.
| Degree | Note | Interval from D♯ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D♯ | root | |
| ♭3 | F♯ | minor third | |
| 4 | G♯ | perfect fourth | |
| ♭5 | A | tritone | |
| 5 | A♯ | perfect fifth | |
| ♭7 | C♯ | minor seventh |
The sound of D♯ blues scale
The blues scale is the minor pentatonic with one extra note, the ♭5 (A). That note is meant to be passed through, not landed on: it's the gritty in-between sound of the blues.
Over a D♯7 chord the ♭3 (F♯) clashes with the chord's major third on purpose; bending it slightly sharp is the blues.
D♯ blues scale is E♭ minor pentatonic scale plus A. Hear E♭ minor pentatonic scale and compare.
Playing D♯ blues
On the piano it uses five black keys (D♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and C♯) and one white.
15 notes fit in the box between frets 9 and 15, with D♯ at the 11th fret of the low E string.
Chords that fit D♯ blues scale
Every note of these chords is in the scale: E♭m, E♭m7, E♭sus4, F♯, F♯m, F♯sus2, A♭sus2, C♯sus2, A♭sus4, C♯sus4, F♯6, F♯m6.
Moving it around the guitar
The root, D♯, sits at fret 11 on the low E string and 6 on the A string. Treat the ♭5 as a passing note; slide through it rather than landing on it.
On the piano, D♯ blues scale uses 5 black keys (D♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and C♯) and 1 white.
A good drill once the scale is under your fingers: play it in thirds, skipping one note each time. Here that's D♯–G♯, F♯–A, G♯–A♯, A–C♯, A♯–D♯, C♯–F♯.
Practice patterns for D♯ blues scale
Once D♯ blues is comfortable up and down, break the order. Each pattern below uses only its 6 notes.
- Three-note runs: D♯ F♯ G♯ · F♯ G♯ A · G♯ A A♯ · A A♯ C♯ · A♯ C♯ D♯.
- Target A: D♯ A D♯ A D♯: the ♭5, the blue note, squeezed between the 4th and 5th.
Close relatives of D♯ blues scale
Blues scale in every key
D♯ blues scale: questions
What are the notes of the D♯ blues scale?
D♯, F♯, G♯, A, A♯, C♯, D♯. As degrees: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.
How many sharps or flats are in the D♯ blues scale?
Five: D♯, F♯, G♯, A♯ and C♯.
What's the difference between D♯ blues scale and E♭ minor pentatonic scale?
It adds A.
What chords go with the D♯ blues scale?
Any chord built only from its notes, for example E♭m, E♭m7, E♭sus4, F♯, F♯m and F♯sus2. In a 12-bar blues in D♯ it also works over the IV and V seventh chords, where the clashing notes are part of the sound.
Every note on this page is computed from 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 and tested. Updated September 2026.