Fretwise Get the app

Guitar scale · exotic

D Prometheus Scale

Six-note scale 1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7. Also called the mystic scale.

Notes DEF#G#BC
Formula 1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7
Steps W W W W+H H W
Mood Mystic, Floating, Colourful
Heard in Modern Classical, Exotic Colour

Interactive scale diagram

D Prometheus Scale · Standard tuning

STR OP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 E A D G B E

Tap any note to hear it.

D Prometheus Scale tab: all 5 positions

Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.

Position 1 · E shape frets 10–14
e|-------------------------------------10-12-14-|
B|-------------------------------12-13----------|
G|-------------------------11-13----------------|
D|----------------10-12-14----------------------|
A|----------11-14-------------------------------|
E|-10-12-14-------------------------------------|
Position 2 · D shape frets 12–16
e|-------------------------------------12-14-16-|
B|-------------------------------13-15----------|
G|-------------------------13-16----------------|
D|----------------12-14-16----------------------|
A|----------14-15-------------------------------|
E|-12-14-16-------------------------------------|
Position 3 · C shape frets 14–18
e|-------------------------------------14-16-|
B|-------------------------------15-17-------|
G|-------------------------16-17-------------|
D|----------------14-16-18-------------------|
A|-------14-15-17----------------------------|
E|-14-16-------------------------------------|
Position 4 · A shape frets 17–21
e|-------------------------------------19-20-|
B|-------------------------------19-21-------|
G|----------------------17-19-21-------------|
D|----------------18-21----------------------|
A|-------17-19-21----------------------------|
E|-19-20-------------------------------------|
Position 5 · G shape frets 19–22
e|----------------------------------19-20-22-|
B|----------------------------19-21----------|
G|----------------------19-21----------------|
D|----------------21-22----------------------|
A|----------19-21----------------------------|
E|-19-20-22----------------------------------|

How to play D Prometheus 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, ♭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

DegreeNote
1 D
2 E
3 F#
♯4 G#
6 B
♭7 C

Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android

Practise D Prometheus 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
  • A tuner with 10 tunings and a metronome from 30 to 260 BPM
  • 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
  • No subscription, ads removed

Questions

What notes are in the D Prometheus Scale?
The D Prometheus Scale has 6 notes: D, E, F#, G#, B, C.
What is the formula of the prometheus scale?
1 2 3 ♯4 6 ♭7, which is the step pattern W W W W+H H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
Where do I play D Prometheus 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.

Prometheus Scale in every key

More scales in D