Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
D Harmonic Major Scale
The major scale with a lowered 6th, also called Ionian ♭6. Its augmented 2nd between ♭6 and 7 gives it a harmonic-minor colour.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Harmonic Major 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|-------------------------------------------10-12-14-| B|-------------------------------------11-14----------| G|----------------------------11-12-14----------------| D|-------------------11-12-14-------------------------| A|----------10-12-13----------------------------------| E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------12-14-15-| B|-------------------------------------14-15----------| G|----------------------------12-14-15----------------| D|-------------------12-14-16-------------------------| A|----------12-13-16----------------------------------| E|-12-14-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-17-18-| B|-------------------------------------15-17-------------| G|----------------------------14-15-18-------------------| D|-------------------14-16-17----------------------------| A|-------------16-17-------------------------------------| E|-14-15-17-18-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-18-21-| B|-------------------------------------19-20----------| G|----------------------------18-19-21----------------| D|-------------------17-19-20-------------------------| A|----------17-19-21----------------------------------| E|-17-18-21-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------21-22-| B|----------------------------19-20-22-------| G|----------------------19-21----------------| D|----------------19-20----------------------| A|-------19-21-22----------------------------| E|-21-22-------------------------------------|
How to play D Harmonic Major 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# |
| 4 | G |
| 5 | A |
| ♭6 | Bb |
| 7 | C# |
Chords in D Harmonic Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Harmonic Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | D | Dmaj7 | Tonic |
| ii° | Edim | Em7b5 | Supertonic |
| iii | F#m | F#m7 | Mediant |
| iv | Gm | Gm(maj7) | Subdominant |
| V | A | A7 | Dominant |
| ♭VI+ | Bbaug | Bbmaj7#5 | Submediant |
| vii° | C#dim | C#dim7 | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Harmonic Major 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.
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Questions
- What notes are in the D Harmonic Major Scale?
- The D Harmonic Major Scale has 7 notes: D, E, F#, G, A, Bb, C#.
- What chords are in the D Harmonic Major Scale?
- The chords of D Harmonic Major are D (I), Edim (ii°), F#m (iii), Gm (iv), A (V), Bbaug (♭VI+), C#dim (vii°).
- What is the formula of the harmonic major scale?
- 1 2 3 4 5 ♭6 7, which is the step pattern W W H W H W+H H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Harmonic Major 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.