JamEaseGuitar scales › Melodic Minor Scale
D Melodic Minor Scale – Guitar
A minor scale with a raised 6th and 7th: smooth and modern, a jazz staple. 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 melodic minor scale
- D1
- E2
- Fb3
- G4
- A5
- B6
- C♯7
Formula: 1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7. Use it to solo over songs in D minor, and over D blues and rock progressions.
D melodic minor 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 9–14
e|-------------------------------------------------------9--10-12-13-| B|----------------------------------------------10-12-14-------------| G|----------------------------------9--10-12-14----------------------| D|----------------------9--11-12-14----------------------------------| A|-------------10-12-14----------------------------------------------| E|-9--10-12-13-------------------------------------------------------|
Box 2 · frets 11–16
e|-------------------------------------------------12-13-15-| B|----------------------------------------12-14-15----------| G|-------------------------------12-14-16-------------------| D|-------------------11-12-14-15----------------------------| A|----------12-14-16----------------------------------------| E|-12-13-15-------------------------------------------------|
Box 3 · frets 1–7
e|-----------------------------------------1-3-5-7-| B|---------------------------------2-3-5-6---------| G|-------------------------2-4-6-7-----------------| D|-----------------2-3-5-7-------------------------| A|---------2-4-5-7---------------------------------| E|-1-3-5-7-----------------------------------------|
Box 4 · frets 4–9
e|-----------------------------------5-7-9-| B|-----------------------------5-6-8-------| G|---------------------4-6-7-9-------------| D|---------------5-7-9---------------------| A|-------4-5-7-8---------------------------| E|-5-7-9-----------------------------------|
Box 5 · frets 6–11
e|-------------------------------------------------7--9--10-| B|----------------------------------------6--8--10----------| G|----------------------------6--7--9--10-------------------| D|-------------------7--9--11-------------------------------| A|----------7--8--10----------------------------------------| E|-7--9--10-------------------------------------------------|
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 Blues 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
Melodic Minor Scale in other keys
- C Melodic Minor Scale
- C♯ Melodic Minor Scale
- E♭ Melodic Minor Scale
- E Melodic Minor Scale
- F Melodic Minor Scale
- F♯ Melodic Minor Scale
- G Melodic Minor Scale
- G♯ Melodic Minor Scale
- A Melodic Minor Scale
- B♭ Melodic Minor Scale
- B Melodic Minor Scale
Put it to use: solo with it, step by step, starting with three notes.
FAQ
What notes are in the D melodic minor scale?
D, E, F, G, A, B, C#. The formula is 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7.
Where do I start playing the D melodic minor scale on guitar?
Start with Box 1, frets 9–14. The root note D is on the low E string at fret 10.