D♭ major pentatonic scale on mandolin
The D♭ major pentatonic scale has five notes: D♭, E♭, F, A♭ and B♭ (1 2 3 5 6). The major scale without its 4th and 7th: sweet and open. Country, pop and Southern rock solos live here; its boxes are the minor pentatonic's, moved down three frets.
| Note | D♭ | E♭ | F | A♭ | B♭ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval | 1 (root) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Step to the next | whole | whole | 1½ | whole | 1½ |
5 positions to learn it in
The D♭ major pentatonic scale is learnt in five boxes, each two notes a string under the hand, joined end to end up the neck. Start with box 1 and learn one at a time; together they cover the whole fretboard. Press Play to hear each one, up and back down.
Chords that go with the D♭ major pentatonic scale
The chords on each note of the scale that use only its notes. Play over any of them and every note fits; D♭ (D♭) is where it sounds at home.
| On the | Chord | Seventh chord |
|---|---|---|
| root (D♭) | D♭home | – |
| 2 (E♭) | E♭sus4the lift | – |
| 5 (A♭) | A♭sus4the pull | – |
| 6 (B♭) | B♭mthe shadow | B♭m7the shadow |
Scales with the same notes
Its relative minor pentatonic is the B♭ minor pentatonic scale: the same notes, started from B♭.
Questions
What notes are in the D♭ major pentatonic scale?
D♭, E♭, F, A♭ and B♭. Its intervals from the root are 1 2 3 5 6, and the steps between its notes are W W W+H W W+H (W a whole step, H a half step).
What chords go with the D♭ major pentatonic scale?
The chords made only of its notes: D♭, E♭sus4, A♭sus4 and B♭m, and as seventh chords B♭m7. D♭ is home: D♭ is the chord it sounds most settled over.
What is the relative minor pentatonic of the D♭ major pentatonic scale?
The B♭ minor pentatonic scale, which has the same notes started from B♭.
The major pentatonic scale in every key
Other scales in D♭
D♭ majorC♯ minorC♯ minor pentatonicC♯ bluesC♯ DorianD♭ MixolydianD♭ LydianC♯ PhrygianC♯ harmonic minorC♯ melodic minorD♭ Phrygian dominant
Practise it on a sheet of your own in the practice sheet maker, with a metronome and a drone. Every scale: mandolin scales. This scale on guitar, bass, ukulele and banjo.