JamEaseGuitar scales › Natural Minor Scale
D Natural Minor Scale – Guitar
The seven-note minor scale (the Aeolian mode): darker and more melodic than the minor pentatonic. 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 natural minor scale
- D1
- E2
- Fb3
- G4
- A5
- B♭b6
- Cb7
Formula: 1 – 2 – b3 – 4 – 5 – b6 – b7. Use it to solo over songs in D minor, and over D blues and rock progressions.
Same seven notes as the F major scale (its relative major).
D natural 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|-------------------------------------------------10-12-13-| B|----------------------------------------10-11-13----------| G|----------------------------9--10-12-14-------------------| D|-------------------10-12-14-------------------------------| A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------------| E|-10-12-13-------------------------------------------------|
Box 2 · frets 11–16
e|----------------------------------------------12-13-15-| B|-------------------------------------11-13-15----------| G|----------------------------12-14-15-------------------| D|-------------------12-14-15----------------------------| A|----------12-13-15-------------------------------------| E|-12-13-15----------------------------------------------|
Box 3 · frets 1–7
e|-----------------------------------------1-3-5-6-| B|---------------------------------1-3-5-6---------| G|-------------------------2-3-5-7-----------------| D|-----------------2-3-5-7-------------------------| A|---------1-3-5-7---------------------------------| E|-1-3-5-6-----------------------------------------|
Box 4 · frets 4–9
e|-------------------------------5-6-8-| B|-------------------------5-6-8-------| G|-------------------5-7-9-------------| D|-------------5-7-8-------------------| A|-------5-7-8-------------------------| E|-5-6-8-------------------------------|
Box 5 · frets 6–11
e|-------------------------------------------------6--8--10-| B|-------------------------------------6--8--10-11----------| G|----------------------------7--9--10----------------------| D|-------------------7--8--10-------------------------------| A|----------7--8--10----------------------------------------| E|-6--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 Blues Scale
- D Major Blues Scale
- D Major Scale
- D Dorian Mode
- D Mixolydian Mode
- D Phrygian Mode
- D Lydian Mode
- D Harmonic Minor Scale
- D Melodic Minor Scale
Natural Minor Scale in other keys
- C Natural Minor Scale
- C♯ Natural Minor Scale
- E♭ Natural Minor Scale
- E Natural Minor Scale
- F Natural Minor Scale
- F♯ Natural Minor Scale
- G Natural Minor Scale
- G♯ Natural Minor Scale
- A Natural Minor Scale
- B♭ Natural Minor Scale
- B Natural Minor Scale
Put it to use: solo with it, step by step, starting with three notes.
FAQ
What notes are in the D natural minor scale?
D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C. The formula is 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7.
Where do I start playing the D natural minor scale on guitar?
Start with Box 1, frets 9–14. The root note D is on the low E string at fret 10.
What is the relative major of D minor?
F major – it uses the same notes.