Guitar scale · exotic
D Oriental Scale
Mode 5 of Double Harmonic Major: a dominant-sounding scale with ♭2, ♭5, a major 6th and ♭7.
Tap any note to hear it.
D Oriental 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|-------------------------------------------10-11-14-| B|-------------------------------------12-13----------| G|----------------------------11-12-13----------------| D|-------------------10-12-13-------------------------| A|----------10-11-14----------------------------------| E|-10-11-14-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-16-| B|----------------------------------13-15-16----------| G|-------------------------12-13-16-------------------| D|----------------12-13-16----------------------------| A|----------14-15-------------------------------------| E|-14-15-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------14-15-16-| B|-------------------------------------15-16----------| G|-------------------------------16-17----------------| D|----------------------16-17-18----------------------| A|----------14-15-17-18-------------------------------| E|-14-15-16-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------------19-20-| B|----------------------------------19-20-21-------| G|-------------------------17-19-20----------------| D|----------------17-18-21-------------------------| A|-------17-18-21----------------------------------| E|-19-20-------------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------19-20-22-| B|----------------------------19-20-21----------| G|----------------------19-20-------------------| D|----------------21-22-------------------------| A|----------21-22-------------------------------| E|-19-20-22-------------------------------------|
How to play D Oriental 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 | Ab |
| 6 | B |
| ♭7 | C |
Chords in D Oriental
Stack every other note of the scale and you get these seven chords. They are the chords that sound "at home" in D Oriental; tap one to see its shapes.
| Degree | Chord | 7th chord | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | — | — | Tonic |
| ♭II+ | Ebaug | Ebmaj7#5 | Supertonic |
| III | — | — | Mediant |
| IV | G | Gmaj7 | Subdominant |
| ♭V | Ab | Abmaj7 | Dominant |
| vi | Bm | — | Submediant |
| ♭vii | Cm | Cm(maj7) | Leading tone / subtonic |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise D Oriental 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 Oriental Scale?
- The D Oriental Scale has 7 notes: D, Eb, F#, G, Ab, B, C.
- What chords are in the D Oriental Scale?
- The chords of D Oriental are Ebaug (♭II+), G (IV), Ab (♭V), Bm (vi), Cm (♭vii).
- What is the formula of the oriental scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 4 ♭5 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W+H H H W+H H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play D Oriental 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.