Key of D and the D Major Scale on Guitar
Updated 2024
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The key of D major is a bright and uplifting tonality that is widely used in various musical genres, especially in worship music. The D major scale consists of the notes D, E, F#, G, A, B, and C#. Mastering this scale is essential for creating melodies, improvising, and understanding the chord progressions commonly found in D major.
Sections:
What Does “Key of D” Mean?
Key of D and the D Major Scale
What Does it Mean to Play Guitar in the Key of D (Major)
How to Play the D Major Scale on Guitar
More Keys and Scales
Chord Cheat Sheets
What Does “Key of D” Mean?
When musicians refer to the “Key of D”, they mean the key of D major.
The difference between D major and D minor is the major key may simply be the letter name “D” and can sometimes be clarified as “D major”, but the minor key always has minor in the name “D minor”.
Here are common examples:
D = D major
D major = D major
Dm = D minor
D minor = D minor
So how are keys and scales related?
Key of D and the D Major Scale
Key signatures tell us which notes in a key are sharp or flat. D major in traditional notation has a sharp on the F and C spaces. This means those two notes are always raised one fret when playing in D major.
Examples include:
Playing the F and C notes as F# and C# in the D major scale: D E F# G A B C#
Playing chords in D major with the same sharped notes: F# and C# (more on this in the following section)
The notes in the scale tell us what notes make up the chords in the key of D. These are called diatonic chords since they are chords from notes naturally occurring in the major scale.
Without getting into theory, the major scale is a set pattern for choosing notes. Those notes are then used to make three-note chords, called triads.
Interested in learning more about the major scale formula? Read this post: A Complete Rundown of the Major Scale Formula
As you can see, the D major scale and the chords in the key of D are directly related.
What Does it Mean to Play Guitar in the Key of D (Major)
When you play in the key of D, you are typically only playing notes in the D major scale (diatonic chords). This can mean two different things depending on if you’re playing rhythm guitar or lead guitar.
We won’t cover the actual chords here, as those are covered in this post: How to Play Guitar Chords in the Key of D. Instead we’ll cover more of the theory side of how and why these specific chords and notes are played in the key of D.
Rhythm Guitar
For rhythm guitar, playing in the key of D means you are playing the following chords that revolve around D as the tonal center.
D (D major)
Em (E minor)
F#m (F# minor)
G (G major)
A (A major)
Bm (B minor)
C#º (C# diminished)
Let’s list out the notes in each chord (triad) to double check we’re only using notes from the D major scale.
D (D, F#, A)
Em (E, G, B)
F#m (F#, A, C#)
G (G, B, D)
A (A, C#, E)
Bm (B, D, F#)
C#º (C#, E, G)
All of these notes are within the D major scale, so we’re good to go.
Lead Guitar
For lead guitarists, playing in the key of D major means you are playing the same notes contained in the scale but not necessarily in chord form. In other words, you’re mostly playing single notes, maybe some diads (two notes at a time), and an occasional triad (three notes at a time, also known as chords).
Lead guitar is typically a melody instrument just like a vocalist, playing one note after the other to form a melody.
Playing in the key of D means that you’re playing notes in the D major scale.
D major scale: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#
Which notes you choose to play with which chords, however, is an entirely different topic I’ll have to cover at another time.
How to Play the D Major Scale on Guitar
To play the notes of the D major scale on your guitar, simply find the D string (4th from the bottom of the fretboard). Start with the open D string and follow the major scale formula.
If you’re a little rusty on the formula, here’s a refresher.
Major scale formula: W W H W W W H
Go up this many frets: 2 2 1 2 2 2 1
From the open D string, go up two frets to the E note (2nd fret). Continue to follow the formula until you reach the 12th fret, ending on D an octave higher.
The D major scale on a guitar fretboard (D string)
This is an abbreviated version of how to play the D major scale, but if you’re serious about learning it, these posts provide all the information you need.