D Blues Scale (D F G A♭ A C)
D blues is D minor pentatonic with an A♭ dropped in. D F G A♭ A C. The Another Brick in the Wall solo touches the ♭5 exactly as often as it should, which is rarely.
Fretboard diagram
Every D blues note from the open strings to fret 22. At fret 12 the map starts over an octave up.
Notes in this scale
| Symbol | Interval | Note |
|---|---|---|
| R | root | D |
| ♭3 | minor third | F |
| 4 | perfect fourth | G |
| ♭5 | flatted fifth | A♭ |
| 5 | perfect fifth | A |
| ♭7 | minor seventh | C |
Where to land
A lead that never touches its root is an exercise. In the first twelve frets D sits on the low E string at fret 10, the A string at fret 5, the D string open and at fret 12, the G string at fret 7, the B string at fret 3, and the high E string at fret 10. End phrases on one of them until it's automatic, then start aiming for whichever chord tone the band is sitting on instead.
The A♭ is the exception to every landing rule. Bend into it, slide through it, resolve it to the A a half step up or keep falling to the fourth. Treat it as a note you visit, and keep ending phrases on D, the way every blues record you own already does.
Keep exploring
Same root
Same notes
D minor pentatonic is this scale without the ♭5.
Chords it fits over
D7 for a blues, Dm and Dm7 for everything darker.
Nearby keys
D blues FAQ
What notes are in the D blues scale?
D blues contains D, F, G, A♭, A, and C. That's the root, the minor third, the perfect fourth, the flatted fifth, the perfect fifth, and the minor seventh.
What fret does D blues start on?
The lowest root is D at fret 10 on the low E string, and most players anchor there. The scale itself covers the whole neck, and everything repeats twelve frets higher.
What is the blue note in the D blues scale?
A♭, the flatted fifth. It sits one fret below the perfect fifth and one above the fourth. It works as a passing note, bent into or slid through, and resolves cleanly to either neighbor.