STRINGSCALES

D composite blues Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

Low E string: E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, B, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

A string: A, B, C, D, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A at frets 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

D string: D, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, B, C, D at frets 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

G string: G, Ab, A, B, C, D, E, F, F#, G at frets 0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12

B string: B, C, D, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, B at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12

High E string: E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, B, C, D, E at frets 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12

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D composite blues

The composite blues scale merges the major and minor blues scales into one nine note super set: root, 2nd, both 3rds, 4th, flat 5th, 5th, 6th, flat 7th. It is less a scale to run than a map of every blues inflection available in one key: major sweetness, minor grit and the blue note all coexist. Blues and jazz players effectively think in it already.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

D

I

E

II

F

bIII

F♯

III

G

IV

A♭

bV

A

V

B

VI

C

bVII

composite blues in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • Do not run all nine notes: treat D composite blues as a map and pick the major-blues subset over I and IV, minor-blues subset over V.
  • Practice switching mid-phrase: answer a line built on II, bIII (F), III, VI with one built on IV, bV (Ab), V, bVII (C).
  • The double chromatic runs (II-bIII-III and IV-bV-V) are built-in slurs: hammer through them landing on the chord tone.
  • Over a shuffle in D, keep strong beats for triad tones and spend all that chromatic wealth on the upbeats.

How to play D composite blues on guitar

Every open string lands inside D composite blues, with open D itself on the root, so the guitar is effectively pre-tuned for this key. Open A brings the fifth and open B the sixth, which lets bass drones move without your fretting hand. Roots also show up at fret 3 on the B string and fret 5 on the A string. E-shape barre work centers at fret 10. Box one runs long, handing off at fret 14, giving you extra room before the first shift.

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