Also written Diatonic, Gong or Mongolian
D major pentatonic contains D, E, F♯, A, and B. Box 1 places the root on string 3, fret 5 and string 1, fret 7.
D major pentatonic drops the fourth and seventh degrees from D major, leaving 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. The intervals are 0, 2, 4, 7, and 9 semitones, producing steps of W, W, 1½, W, 1½. This five-note structure avoids half-step dissonance.
D major pentatonic fits D major and D 5th chords. It works over D major progressions and is common in folk and country bass lines.
Practise Box 1 first. It keeps the root under your first finger on string 3, fret 5 and covers frets 2–5.
D major pentatonic in box 2 runs from fret 2 to fret 5, 8 notes across 4 strings, from F♯ on the E string at fret 2 up to B on the G string at fret 4. The root falls on the A string at fret 5.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 2, 5 | F♯, A |
| 3 (A) | 2, 5 | B, D |
| 2 (D) | 2, 4 | E, F♯ |
| 1 (G) | 2, 4 | A, B |
D major pentatonic in box 4 runs from fret 7 to fret 10, 8 notes across 4 strings, from B on the E string at fret 7 up to E on the G string at fret 9. The root falls on the E string at fret 10 and the G string at fret 7.
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 (E) | 7, 10 | B, D |
| 3 (A) | 7, 9 | E, F♯ |
| 2 (D) | 7, 9 | A, B |
| 1 (G) | 7, 9 | D, E |
Every chord here uses only notes from the scale. Tap one to open it.
D major pentatonic contains D, E, F♯, A, and B. These are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th degrees of D major. The scale omits the 4th and 7th degrees.
D major pentatonic fits D major and D 5th chords. It also works over D major progressions. Use it for bass lines in major keys.
Start with Box 1 and play the notes ascending and descending. Use a metronome at 60 bpm and gradually increase speed. Connect to Box 2 by shifting to the next root position.