D Melodic Minor Guitar Scale — Drop B
Guitar scale in Drop B tuning — fretboard diagram
D Melodic Minor in Drop B — Notes and Intervals
The D Melodic Minor scale, often called the Jazz Minor, offers a more sophisticated and fluid sound than the natural minor. On Guitar, it contains the notes D, E, F, G, A, B, C#. It is a vital tool for modern jazz improvisation, allowing players to navigate complex dominant chords and create elegant, tension-filled melodic lines that avoid the exotic jump of the harmonic minor. The diatonic chords of D Melodic Minor are Dm6, Em7, F+maj7, G7, A7, Bm7b5, C#m7b5. Commonly used in Jazz, Fusion, Contemporary Classical, Progressive. Notable players include Pat Metheny, John Coltrane, Allan Holdsworth. Use over m(Maj7), m6 chords. Its modes cover nearly every altered dominant situation in jazz. The 'jazz minor' is the single most important advanced scale system.
Notes: D, E, F, G, A, B, C#
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 4P, 5P, 6M, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7
Formula: W-H-W-W-W-W-H
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Drop B (B-F#-B-E-G#-C#)
Diatonic Chords
Dm6 — Em7 — F+maj7 — G7 — A7 — Bm7♭5 — C♯m7♭5
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 Melodic Minor in Standard Tuning
- D Melodic Minor in Drop D
- D Melodic Minor in DADGAD
- D Melodic Minor in Open G
- D Melodic Minor in Baritone (B Standard)
- D Melodic Minor in 7-string
- D Melodic Minor in 8-string
- D Melodic Minor in Drop C
- D Melodic Minor in Open D
- D Melodic Minor in Half Step Down
- D Melodic Minor in Open E
- D Melodic Minor in Open A
- D Melodic Minor in Double Drop D
- D Melodic Minor in Open C