JamEaseD Blues Scale – Guitar
The minor pentatonic plus one extra note, the 'blue note' (b5), which gives blues and rock licks their bite. Here it is in D: the notes, the whole neck, all five boxes with TAB, and a backing track to practise over.
Notes in the D blues scale
- D1
- Fb3
- G4
- A♭b5
- A5
- Cb7
Formula: 1 – b3 – 4 – b5 – 5 – b7. Use it to solo over songs in D minor, and over D blues and rock progressions.
D blues scale on the whole neck
Know the scale?
Now solo with it.
A guitar soloing course: 81 short lessons, each one ends with you jamming over a real backing track.
- From 3 notes to your own solos
- Every note on the neck, with sound and TAB
- 379 backing tracks in every key
The 5 boxes (positions) with TAB
Each box is one hand position. Learn Box 1 first: play it up with the TAB, then back down, then move to the next box – together they cover the whole neck.
Box 1 · frets 10–13
e|-------------------------------------10-13-| B|-------------------------------10-13-------| G|----------------------10-12-13-------------| D|----------------10-12----------------------| A|-------10-11-12----------------------------| E|-10-13-------------------------------------|
Box 2 · frets 12–15
e|----------------------------------13-15-| B|----------------------------13-15-------| G|-------------------12-13-14-------------| D|-------------12-15----------------------| A|-------12-15----------------------------| E|-13-15----------------------------------|
Box 3 · frets 2–6
e|-------------------------3-4-5-| B|---------------------3-6-------| G|-----------------2-5-----------| D|-----------3-5-6---------------| A|-------3-5---------------------| E|-3-4-5-------------------------|
Box 4 · frets 5–8
e|-----------------------5-8-| B|-------------------6-8-----| G|---------------5-7---------| D|---------5-6-7-------------| A|-----5-8-------------------| E|-5-8-----------------------|
Box 5 · frets 7–10
e|----------------------------------8--10-| B|-------------------------8--9--10-------| G|-------------------7--10----------------| D|-------------7--10----------------------| A|-------8--10----------------------------| E|-8--10----------------------------------|
3 D minor licks to play with it
Box 1 licks from the JamEase lick library, written for D minor (h = hammer-on, p = pull-off, / = slide, b = bend, ~ = vibrato).
Down four
Four notes straight down the middle of the box.
e|-------------| B|-10----------| G|----12-10----| D|----------12-| A|-------------| E|-------------|
Pentatonic repeat
One little three-note shape, walked down the box in triplets.
e|-13p-10------------------------------| B|---------13--13p-10------------------| G|---------------------12--12p-10------| D|---------------------------------12--| A|-------------------------------------| E|-------------------------------------|
Bend and release
Bend up, let it fall back, and land on the root with vibrato.
e|----------------| B|----------------| G|-12br-10--------| D|-----------12~--| A|----------------| E|----------------|
D minor backing track
Play the boxes over this, starting and ending phrases on the gold root notes.
D Minor Slow Blues Ballad BACKING TRACK JAM - 80 bpm – Backing Tracks Studio
Songs in D minor
These songs are in D minor, so this is a scale that fits for soloing over them:
- The Scientist – Coldplay
- Grenade – Bruno Mars
- Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye
- 21 Guns – Green Day
- Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons
- Too Good At Goodbyes – Sam Smith
- Back To Black – Amy Winehouse
- Set Fire To The Rain – Adele
- Complicated – Avril Lavigne
- Sultans Of Swing – Dire Straits
- Paradise – Coldplay
- Locked Out Of Heaven – Bruno Mars
Other scales in D
- D Minor Pentatonic Scale
- D Major Pentatonic Scale
- D Major Blues Scale
- D Major Scale
- D Natural Minor Scale
- D Dorian Mode
- D Mixolydian Mode
- D Phrygian Mode
- D Lydian Mode
- D Harmonic Minor Scale
- D Melodic Minor Scale
Blues Scale in other keys
- C Blues Scale
- C♯ Blues Scale
- E♭ Blues Scale
- E Blues Scale
- F Blues Scale
- F♯ Blues Scale
- G Blues Scale
- G♯ Blues Scale
- A Blues Scale
- B♭ Blues Scale
- B Blues Scale
Put it to use: solo with it, step by step, starting with three notes.
FAQ
What notes are in the D blues scale?
D, F, G, Ab, A, C. The formula is 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7.
Where do I start playing the D blues scale on guitar?
Start with Box 1, frets 10–13. The root note D is on the low E string at fret 10.