Guitar scale · harmonic & melodic
D Neapolitan Major Scale
Melodic minor with a lowered 2nd: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Neapolitan 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|-------------------------------------------10-11-13-| B|-------------------------------------12-14----------| G|----------------------------10-12-14----------------| D|-------------------11-12-13-------------------------| A|----------10-12-14----------------------------------| E|-10-11-13-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------13-15-| B|----------------------------------14-15-16-------| G|-------------------------12-14-16----------------| D|----------------12-13-15-------------------------| A|-------12-14-16----------------------------------| E|-13-15-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------15-17-| B|----------------------------------15-16-18-------| G|-------------------------14-16-18----------------| D|-------------------15-17-------------------------| A|-------14-16-17-18-------------------------------| E|-15-17-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------17-19-21-| B|-------------------------------------18-20----------| G|----------------------------18-19-20----------------| D|-------------------17-19-21-------------------------| A|----------17-18-20----------------------------------| E|-17-19-21-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------19-21-22-| B|-------------------------------20-22----------| G|----------------------19-20-22----------------| D|----------------19-21-------------------------| A|----------20-22-------------------------------| E|-19-21-22-------------------------------------|
How to play D Neapolitan 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 | Eb |
| ♭3 | F |
| 4 | G |
| 5 | A |
| 6 | B |
| 7 | C# |
Chords in D Neapolitan Major
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Neapolitan Major; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Dm(maj7) | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Ebaug | Ebmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| ♭III+ | Faug | — | Mediant |
| IV | G | G7 | Subdominant |
| V | — | — | Dominant |
| vi° | Bdim | Bm7b5 | Submediant |
| VII | — | — | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Neapolitan 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 Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The D Neapolitan Major Scale has 7 notes: D, Eb, F, G, A, B, C#.
- What chords are in the D Neapolitan Major Scale?
- The chords of D Neapolitan Major are Dm (i), Ebaug (♭II+), Faug (♭III+), G (IV), Bdim (vi°).
- What is the formula of the neapolitan major scale?
- 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7, which is the step pattern H W W W W W H (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Neapolitan 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.