D Major Scale on Guitar: Notes and Chords

D major scale has two sharps: F# and C#. Remember: G major had one sharp (F#). C# is the only new one.

It's very guitar-friendly because open string on your guitar is in the D major scale.

Skip to what you need

• D major scale
• Useful shapes for D major scale
• Open position
• Over two octaves
• Chords in D major scale
• Some theory
• Common chords in D
• Common progressions
• Where to go from here

D major scale

D major scale is: D - E - F# - G - A - B - C#

Seven notes. Two sharps.

Watch for C# - If something sounds off, you're probably playing C instead of C#.

D. E. F#. G. A. B. C#.

Eighth note brings you back to D, an octave higher. Same as every major scale.

Here's a clean one-octave shape starting from D on the A string, 5th fret. Useful, movable.

If you slide it up 2 frets, its E major, up 7 frets for A major.

Here's the full fretboard. Try playing with the backing track.

Useful shapes for D major scale

Open position

All open strings (E A D G B E) are in the D major scale. It rings naturally.

Over two octaves

This shape has no open strings. It's fully movable.

Chords in D major scale

Some theory

If you stack every other note in the scale, you get chords in the scale.

D major is D E F# G A B C#.

1st, 3rd, 5th: D, F#, A. That's D major.

D - F# - A = D Major

Common chords in D

D - F# - A = D Major

E - G - B = E Minor

F# - A - C# = F# Minor

G - B - D = G Major

A - C# - E = A Major

B - D - F# = B Minor

C# - E - G = C# Diminished

Most songs in the key of D major will use D, G, A and Bm; so that's what you should focus on. You don't really need the C# dim chord, like ever, so maybe skip that for now.

Here's how to play them.

Common progressions

D, G, A, and Bm cover most of what you'll want to play in this key. Bm is a barre chord — if you can't play it yet, substitute Em for now and come back to it.

• Pop Loop (I - V - vi - IV): D major → A major → B minor → G major

• The 50s Doo-Wop (I - vi - IV - V): D major → B minor → G major → A major

• Moody Ballad (vi - IV - I - V): B minor → G major → D major → A major

• Royal Road (IV - V - iii - vi): G major → A major → F# minor → B minor

Where to go from here

If you're reading this from the guide, you now know C, G, and D major. Three keys, we've covered a lot.

You may have noticed - the pattern of chords - major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished - is the same in all three. It's because, regardless of the key, you have the same intervals in a 'major scale'. That's music theory doing its thing.

Let's stop collecting scales. Pick a key, play the backing track, and spend a week just playing in it. Hum something. Find it on the fretboard. Make it feel like yours.

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