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D blues scale

The D blues scale is D F G A♭ A C: six notes, gritty, with a blue note. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7.

Make a beat in D minor

Opens the free editor with a trap beat in D minor to play D blues over. No account needed to start.

The notes of D blues

From D up to D: step and a half, whole, half, half, step and a half, whole. Tap a key to hear it.

D F G A♭ A C D

DFGACDA♭
The notes of D blues scale by scale degree
DegreeNoteFrom the root
1DRoot
♭3FMinor third
4GPerfect fourth
♭5A♭Diminished fifth
5APerfect fifth
♭7CMinor seventh

How D blues is built

D minor pentatonic with one note added: A♭, the flat fifth, between G and A. That is the blue note, and the rub it makes against the notes beside it is the sound of the blues.

The minor pentatonic with one note added: the flat fifth, the “blue note” that gives blues, rock and soul their bite. Six notes in all. The blues scale in every key.

Chords to play D blues over

A blues in D moves between three chords, the first, fourth and fifth, each played as a seventh chord. The scale fits over all three.

D7 G7 A7

See them as a 12-bar blues.

Play D blues over a beat

A beat on the chords of D minor. Play the scale over it on the keyboard above, then open it in the editor and add your melody as its own part.

Hear it as

Questions about D blues

What notes are in the D blues scale?

D, F, G, A♭, A and C. Its formula is 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7, counted from the major scale on D, and its steps from D up to D are: step and a half, whole, half, half, step and a half, whole.

What is the blue note in the D blues scale?

A♭, the flat fifth, a half step above G and below A. It slides into one of them more often than it stays, and that rub is what makes it sound like the blues. Without it the scale is D minor pentatonic.

Blues scale in every key

C bluesC♯ bluesD bluesD♯ bluesE bluesF bluesF♯ bluesG bluesG♯ bluesA bluesB♭ bluesB blues

More scales on D

D major (major scale)D minor (natural minor scale)D major pentatonicD minor pentatonicD bluesD harmonic minorD melodic minorD dorianD phrygianD lydianD mixolydianD locrianD phrygian dominant
Scales and modes
Major and minor keysMajor pentatonic scaleMinor pentatonic scaleBlues scaleHarmonic minor scaleMelodic minor scaleDorian modePhrygian modeLydian modeMixolydian modeLocrian modePhrygian dominant scaleWhole tone scale

Build a song in D blues

Start with the beat, then add chords, a melody and your voice in the editor, part by part.

Make a beat in D minorAll music scales

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