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D natural minor scale on guitar
D natural minor contains D, E, F, G, A, B♭, and C. Box 1 places the root on string 5, fret 5, spanning frets 0–3.
How it is built
Formula 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7
How do you play the D natural minor scale on guitar?
D natural minor in box 1 runs from fret 0 to fret 3, 17 notes across 6 strings, from E on the low E string at fret 0 up to G on the high e string at fret 3. The root falls on the D string at fret 0 and the B string at fret 3.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 0, 1, 3 | E, F, G |
| 5 (A) | 0, 1, 3 | A, B♭, C |
| 4 (D) | 0, 2, 3 | D, E, F |
| 3 (G) | 0, 2, 3 | G, A, B♭ |
| 2 (B) | 1, 3 | C, D |
| 1 (e) | 0, 1, 3 | E, F, G |
Box 2 · frets 3–6
D natural minor in box 2 runs from fret 3 to fret 6, 15 notes across 6 strings, from G on the low E string at fret 3 up to B♭ on the high e string at fret 6. The root falls on the A string at fret 5 and the B string at fret 3.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 3, 5, 6 | G, A, B♭ |
| 5 (A) | 3, 5 | C, D |
| 4 (D) | 3, 5 | F, G |
| 3 (G) | 3, 5 | B♭, C |
| 2 (B) | 3, 5, 6 | D, E, F |
| 1 (e) | 3, 5, 6 | G, A, B♭ |
Box 3 · frets 5–8
D natural minor in box 3 runs from fret 5 to fret 8, 17 notes across 6 strings, from A on the low E string at fret 5 up to C on the high e string at fret 8. The root falls on the A string at fret 5 and the G string at fret 7.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 5, 6, 8 | A, B♭, C |
| 5 (A) | 5, 7, 8 | D, E, F |
| 4 (D) | 5, 7, 8 | G, A, B♭ |
| 3 (G) | 5, 7 | C, D |
| 2 (B) | 5, 6, 8 | E, F, G |
| 1 (e) | 5, 6, 8 | A, B♭, C |
Box 4 · frets 8–11
D natural minor in box 4 runs from fret 8 to fret 11, 13 notes across 6 strings, from C on the low E string at fret 8 up to D on the high e string at fret 10. The root falls on the low E string at fret 10 and the high e string at fret 10.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 8, 10 | C, D |
| 5 (A) | 8, 10 | F, G |
| 4 (D) | 8, 10 | B♭, C |
| 3 (G) | 9, 10 | E, F |
| 2 (B) | 8, 10, 11 | G, A, B♭ |
| 1 (e) | 8, 10 | C, D |
Box 5 · frets 10–13
D natural minor in box 5 runs from fret 10 to fret 13, 16 notes across 6 strings, from D on the low E string at fret 10 up to F on the high e string at fret 13. The root falls on the low E string at fret 10, the D string at fret 12 and the high e string at fret 10.
Every note in this box, string by string
| String | Frets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (E) | 10, 12, 13 | D, E, F |
| 5 (A) | 10, 12, 13 | G, A, B♭ |
| 4 (D) | 10, 12 | C, D |
| 3 (G) | 10, 12 | F, G |
| 2 (B) | 10, 11, 13 | A, B♭, C |
| 1 (e) | 10, 12, 13 | D, E, F |
Why it sounds like that
D natural minor is the Aeolian mode of F major, built as 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7. It adds E and B♭ to D minor pentatonic. The pattern is W, H, W, W, H, W, W.
When to use it
D natural minor fits D minor and D 5th chords. Use it in D minor or F major keys. It works for folk and rock lines.
Which position to practise
Learn Box 1 first. It keeps the root on string 5, fret 5, and covers frets 0–3 for easy access to open-position chords.
Common questions
What notes are in D natural minor?
D natural minor contains D, E, F, G, A, B♭, and C. The intervals are 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7. It is the Aeolian mode of F major.
Which chords does D natural minor fit?
D natural minor fits D minor and D 5th chords. It also works over F major and B♭ major chords. Use it for minor-key progressions.
How is D natural minor different from D minor pentatonic?
D natural minor adds E and B♭ to D minor pentatonic. The pentatonic has five notes; natural minor has seven. The extra notes create a more complete minor sound.