D Major Blues Guitar Scale — Drop B
Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram
D Major Blues in Drop B — Notes and Intervals
The D Major Blues scale is an extension of the major pentatonic that adds a blue note for extra soul. On Guitar, the notes are D, E, F, F#, A, B. It blends the happy character of major keys with the expressive, vocal-like slides of the blues, and is a staple in country, swing, and jazz-blues contexts. Commonly used in Blues, Country, Jazz, Swing, Southern Rock. Notable players include B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King. Use over major and dominant 7th chords in blues, country, and swing contexts. Mix with minor blues for complete blues vocabulary.
Notes: D, E, F, F#, A, B
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 3M, 5P, 6M
Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 6
Formula: W-H-H-WH-W-WH
Number of notes: 6
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 Major Blues in Standard Tuning
- D Major Blues in Drop D
- D Major Blues in DADGAD
- D Major Blues in Open G
- D Major Blues in Baritone (B Standard)
- D Major Blues in 7-string
- D Major Blues in 8-string
- D Major Blues in Drop C
- D Major Blues in Open D
- D Major Blues in Half Step Down
- D Major Blues in Open E
- D Major Blues in Open A
- D Major Blues in Double Drop D
- D Major Blues in Open C