D pentatonic major scale
Pentatonic5 notes · F♯
Dpentatonic major
KeyboardRight hand · 1 = thumb
Fingering guideOne octave · both hands
| Hand | D | E | F♯ | A | B | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right hand | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1thumb under | 2 | 3 |
| Left hand | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 22 over | 1 |
Chords in the key
Chords are built by stacking every other note of a seven-note scale. Pentatonic major has 5, so try the major scale for its chords.
How to read a scale
Steps, degrees, fingers.
The step pattern
Every scale is a pattern of whole and half steps. D pentatonic major goes W–W–W+H–W–W+H: the step and a halfs between F♯ and A, and between B and D give it its colour.
The degrees
Number the notes from the root: 1 D, 2 E, 3 F♯, 5 A, 6 B. The degrees stay the same in every key, so a pattern learned in D works in any other.
The fingering
Right hand: the thumb tucks under onto A. Left hand: finger 2 crosses over onto B. Practise the crossings slowly; once they're smooth, raise the tempo.
All 216 scales
Every scale and mode on every root, each with its own page.
C
D♭
D
E♭
E
F
G♭
G
A♭
A
B♭
Practise it on a real keyboard.
Plug in a MIDI keyboard: the Melodio app shows every scale with its fingering and chords, and names what you play. Free, offline.
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