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D prometheus Scale — Guitar Fretboard Visualization

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

A string: B, C, D, E, F#, G# at frets 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

D string: D, E, F#, G#, B, C, D at frets 0, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12

G string: G#, B, C, D, E, F# at frets 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11

B string: B, C, D, E, F#, G#, B at frets 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12

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

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D prometheus

The prometheus scale is Scriabin's mystic chord laid out as a six note scale: root, 2nd, major 3rd, raised 4th, 6th, flat 7th. It is the lydian dominant sound with the 5th removed, which unmoors it: bright, whole-tone leaning and never quite resolving. Use it over 7#11 or 13#11 chords, or for harmonically suspended interludes.

it consists of these notes and degrees:

D

I

E

II

F♯

III

G♯

#IV

B

VI

C

bVII

prometheus in all 12 keys, with chords and related scales

tip
  • This is the mystic chord as a scale: stack it in 4ths from D (root, #IV (G#), bVII (C), III, VI, II) to hear it as Scriabin voiced it.
  • Over a 13#11 chord, every note lands; with no 5th in the scale, nothing anchors, which is exactly the floating effect.
  • Treat II and VI as melodic pivots between the whole-tone-flavored lower notes and the dominant color of bVII (C).
  • Resolve by half step: #IV (G#) up to the 5th of the next chord, or bVII (C) down to its 3rd; the scale exits gracefully despite its float.

How to play D prometheus on guitar

Open D doubles the root, with both E strings on the major second and open B on the major sixth, so four strings drone in-key from the start. Fretted roots follow at fret 3 on the B string and fret 5 on the A string. Box one runs to fret 14 before the shift, which lets a single position carry you past the 12th fret. Only 2 sharps in the signature.

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