About the D Minor Pentatonic Scale
The D minor pentatonic scale is a 5-note scale. The most popular scale for rock and blues soloing. Its notes are D, F, G, A and C, built from the formula 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7.
- Notes
- D – F – G – A – C
- Formula
- 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7
- Steps
- W+H W W W+H W (3–2–2–3–2 semitones)
- Root
- D
D Minor Pentatonic Scale degrees and intervals
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | Root |
| ♭3 | F | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | G | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | A | Perfect 5th |
| ♭7 | C | Minor 7th |
Where to play the D Minor Pentatonic Scale on guitar
Frets 0–12 in standard tuning (E A D G B E), lowest string first. Root notes (D) are highlighted; the pattern repeats from the 12th fret up.
| String | Frets |
|---|---|
| E2 | 1, 3, 5, 8, 10 |
| A2 | 0, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 |
| D3 | 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 |
| G3 | 0, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12 |
| B3 | 1, 3, 6, 8, 10 |
| E4 | 1, 3, 5, 8, 10 |
How to practice the minor pentatonic scale
- Play ascending and descending across all strings
- Practice bending the ♭3 up to the major 3rd
- Try the "box pattern" starting from the root
- Jam over a 12-bar blues backing track
- Connect to neighboring pentatonic positions
Scales with the same notes as D Minor Pentatonic Scale
These scales share every note with the D minor pentatonic scale but start from a different root, so the same shapes work over different chords.
Minor Pentatonic scale in other keys
Other scales in D
- D Major Pentatonic
- D Mixolydian Pentatonic
- D Natural Minor
- D Major (Ionian)
- D Blues
- D Dorian
- D Mixolydian
- D Phrygian
- D Harmonic Minor
- D Lydian
- D Locrian
- D Diminished (Half-Whole)
- D Diminished (Whole-Half)
- D Whole Tone
- D Augmented (Hexatonic)
- D Altered (Super Locrian)
- D Phrygian Dominant
- D Lydian Dominant
- D Mixolydian ♭6 (Hindu)
- D Bebop Dominant
- D Quartal (Stacked 4ths)
- D Quartal Minor (Stacked 4ths)