D Hungarian Minor Guitar Scale — Drop B
Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram
D Hungarian Minor in Drop B — Notes and Intervals
The D Hungarian Minor scale, also known as the Gypsy Minor, is famous for its two wide melodic gaps. On Guitar, its notes are D, E, F, G#, A, Bb, C#. It sounds powerful, mysterious, and perfectly balanced, frequently appearing in classical masterworks and modern melodic metal. Commonly used in Classical, Metal, Klezmer, Film Scores, Gypsy Jazz. Notable players include Franz Liszt, Yngwie Malmsteen, Marty Friedman, Django Reinhardt. Use over m chords in gypsy jazz and neoclassical metal. Works beautifully over i-V progressions in minor keys.
Notes: D, E, F, G#, A, Bb, C#
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 4A, 5P, 6m, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 b3 #4 5 b6 7
Formula: W-H-WH-H-H-WH-H
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Drop B (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#)
About Drop B Tuning
Drop B tuning (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#) takes the guitar into territory traditionally reserved for 7-string instruments, delivering a subsonic heaviness that you can feel in your chest. This tuning has become essential in modern extreme metal, deathcore, and djent, where low-end clarity and rhythmic precision are paramount.
Drop B represents the practical limit of what a standard 6-string guitar can handle before tone quality degrades. With the right string gauge (12-60 or heavier) and proper setup, it delivers the crushing lows of a 7-string while keeping the familiar 6-string layout. Bands like Architects, Periphery (on some tracks), and Parkway Drive have used Drop B to create some of the heaviest riffs in modern metal.
Notable artists: Architects, Parkway Drive, Whitechapel, Born of Osiris, Emmure
Best for: Extreme metal riffs, deathcore breakdowns, djent chugs, and any style demanding the lowest possible 6-string tuning
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D Hungarian Minor in Standard Tuning
- D Hungarian Minor in Drop D
- D Hungarian Minor in DADGAD
- D Hungarian Minor in Open G
- D Hungarian Minor in Baritone (B Standard)
- D Hungarian Minor in 7-string
- D Hungarian Minor in 8-string
- D Hungarian Minor in Drop C
- D Hungarian Minor in Open D
- D Hungarian Minor in Half Step Down
- D Hungarian Minor in Open E
- D Hungarian Minor in Open A
- D Hungarian Minor in Double Drop D
- D Hungarian Minor in Open C