D Augmented, Six Notes on the Neck
Five minutes with the D augmented scale is enough to hear why it feels unstable. D, F, F#, A, A# and C# alternate minor thirds and half steps, and no note settles.
The open D string gives you the root for free, and the 10th fret of the low E string marks it again. F# and Bb augmented contain the same pitches, so this shape also serves those roots.
Play the D augmented scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the D augmented scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | 1 | Root | 0 |
| F | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| F# | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| A | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| A# | #5 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| C# | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
D augmented scale notes:
How the augmented scale is built:
The augmented scale is built from the degrees 1 b3 3 5 #5 7, which gives the step pattern W+H-H-W+H-H-W+H-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11. That makes it a 6-note scale.
D Augmented Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (D)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
The augmented scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
