Guitar scale · augmented hexatonic
D Augmented Scale
Six-note symmetrical scale that alternates a minor 3rd and a half step: 1 ♯2 3 5 ♯5 7. It holds two augmented triads.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Augmented Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-------------------------------------10-13-14-| B|-------------------------------11-14----------| G|----------------------10-11-14----------------| D|----------------11-12-------------------------| A|----------12-13-------------------------------| E|-10-13-14-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------13-14-| B|-------------------------------14-15-------| G|-------------------------14-15-------------| D|----------------12-15-16-------------------| A|-------12-13-16----------------------------| E|-13-14-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------14-17-18-| B|-------------------------------15-18----------| G|----------------------14-15-18----------------| D|----------------15-16-------------------------| A|----------16-17-------------------------------| E|-14-17-18-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------17-18-21-| B|-------------------------------18-19----------| G|-------------------------18-19----------------| D|-------------------19-20----------------------| A|----------17-20-21----------------------------| E|-17-18-21-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------21-22-| B|-------------------------19-22-------| G|-------------------19-22-------------| D|-------------19-20-------------------| A|-------20-21-------------------------| E|-21-22-------------------------------|
How to play D Augmented on guitar
Find the root first: D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every D on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, 7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 10–14. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | D |
| ♯2 | E# |
| 3 | F# |
| 5 | A |
| ♯5 | A# |
| 7 | C# |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Augmented anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
Free
- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
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- A new Daily 15 routine every day, plus free exercises
- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
One purchase
- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Augmented Scale?
- The D Augmented Scale has 6 notes: D, E#, F#, A, A#, C#.
- What is the formula of the augmented scale?
- 1 ♯2 3 5 ♯5 7, which is the step pattern W+H H W+H H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Augmented on the guitar?
- The root D is at fret 10 on the low E string and fret 5 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 10–14, and four more positions connect it up the neck.