About the D Quartal Scale (Stacked 4ths)
The D quartal scale is a 6-note scale. Built on stacking perfect fourths, modern jazz sound (So What, Herbie Hancock). Its notes are D, G, C, F, A# and D#, built from the formula 1 4 ♭7 ♭3 ♭6 ♭2.
- Notes
- D – G – C – F – A# – D#
- Formula
- 1 4 ♭7 ♭3 ♭6 ♭2
- Steps
- 5–5–-7–5–-7–11
- Root
- D
D Quartal Scale (Stacked 4ths) degrees and intervals
| Degree | Note | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | Root |
| 4 | G | Perfect 4th |
| ♭7 | C | Minor 7th |
| ♭3 | F | Minor 3rd |
| ♭6 | A# | Minor 6th |
| ♭2 | D# | Minor 2nd |
Where to play the D Quartal Scale (Stacked 4ths) 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, 6, 8, 10, 11 |
| A2 | 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 |
| D3 | 0, 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 |
| G3 | 0, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12 |
| B3 | 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11 |
| E4 | 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11 |
How to practice the quartal scale
- Practice voicings stacking 4ths on each string set
- Use over sus4, m7, and m11 chords
- Work on McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock-style comping
- Try parallel quartal movement up/down the neck
- Great for modal jazz and open, ambiguous harmonies
Scales with the same notes as D Quartal Scale (Stacked 4ths)
These scales share every note with the D quartal scale but start from a different root, so the same shapes work over different chords.
Quartal scale in other keys
Other scales in D
- D Minor Pentatonic
- 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 Minor (Stacked 4ths)