D Blues Scale
The common D minor blues scale uses D, F, G, A flat, A, C. It begins with D minor pentatonic and adds A flat between G and A. The extra note is the lowered fifth, often called the blue note in this six-note pattern.
- Notes: D-F-G-A flat-A-C
- Added note: A flat
- Six notes
Which notes are in the scale?
Play D-F-G-A flat-A-C-D. Leave out A flat and you have D minor pentatonic: D-F-G-A-C. That is the fastest way to remember the six-note set. The notes D-F-A form the tonic minor chord.
What exactly is the blue note?
A flat is one half step below A. Some musicians write the added pitch as G sharp; both names use the same black key. A flat shows its role as a lowered fifth above D.
Try G-A flat-A and then G-A. The first version passes through a point of tension; the second skips over it. How long you stay on A flat can matter as much as whether you include it.
How can you use it in a phrase?
Play G-A flat-A above a low D, then try G-A. Hold A at the end so the passing A flat has a clear destination.
This six-note list is a practical entry to blues phrasing, not a complete rule for the style. A singer or guitarist can bend pitches between piano keys. Over D7, the minor third F can also rub against the chord's major third F sharp; listen to the accompaniment when you sustain it. Pentatonic and Blues Scales explains how the note set and the played phrase differ.
Keep going
Every pentatonic and blues scale
- C Blues Scale
- C Pentatonic Scale
- C# Blues Scale
- C# Pentatonic Scale
- D Blues Scale
- D Pentatonic Scale
- Eb Blues Scale
- Eb Pentatonic Scale
- E Blues Scale
- E Pentatonic Scale
- F Blues Scale
- F Pentatonic Scale
- F# Blues Scale
- F# Pentatonic Scale
- G Blues Scale
- G Pentatonic Scale
- Ab Blues Scale
- Ab Pentatonic Scale
- A Blues Scale
- A Pentatonic Scale
- Bb Blues Scale
- Bb Pentatonic Scale
- B Blues Scale
- B Pentatonic Scale