The D Major Scale
The notes of D major are D, E, F#, G, A, B, C# — formula 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Key signature: two sharps (F#, C#). Its relative minor is B minor, which uses the same notes from a different home. Below: the full neck, the chords in the key, and the pentatonic that lives inside it.
D major on the fretboard
Practice D major position by position — interactive fretboard →
Chords in the key of D major
Harmonising the scale gives the seven chords songs in D major are built from:
| Degree | I | ii | iii | IV | V | vi | vii° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chord | D | Em | F#m | G | A | Bm | C#dim |
The workhorses are I, IV and V (D, G, A) plus the vi (Bm) — the four chords of several thousand songs.
The D major pentatonic shortcut
For soloing in D major, most players reach first for the major pentatonic — the same scale minus the two most clash-prone notes. D major pentatonic: D, E, F#, A, B.
Jam in D major
Scales stick when you use them over music. Open JamLab — its key stepper transposes any major-mode track into D major without changing tempo.