D Major Pentatonic and the Open D String
Learn the D major pentatonic scale as D, E, F#, A and B. The open D string is a free root, and the open A and B strings belong to the scale too, so a few notes ring without any fretting.
In the movable boxes the root falls on the 10th fret of the low E string and the 5th fret of the A string. B minor pentatonic uses identical notes. Check why the pentatonic scale works to understand how it earns its place in so many styles.
Play the D major pentatonic scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the D major pentatonic scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | 1 | Root | 0 |
| E | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| F# | 3 | Major 3rd | 4 |
| A | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| B | 6 | Major 6th | 9 |
Structure
D major pentatonic scale notes:
How the major pentatonic scale is built:
The major pentatonic scale is built from the degrees 1 2 3 5 6, which gives the step pattern W-W-W+H-W-W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 4, 7, 9. That makes it a 5-note scale.
D Major Pentatonic 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 major pentatonic scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
