D Composite Blues Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Baritone (B Standard) tuning — fretboard diagram
D Composite Blues in Baritone (B Standard) — Notes and Intervals
The D Composite Blues scale is a comprehensive nine-note jazz scale that merges major and minor blues structures. On Guitar, it contains the notes D, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, B, C. It allows improvisers absolute melodic freedom over dominant chords, blending happiness and grit in every line. Commonly used in Jazz, Blues, Fusion, Funk. Notable players include John Scofield, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton. Use over dominant 7th chords in blues and jazz-blues. Contains both major and minor 3rds, allowing fluid switching between bright and dark.
Notes: D, E, F, F#, G, Ab, A, B, C
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3m, 3M, 4P, 5d, 5P, 6M, 7m
Degrees: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 8 b9
Formula: W-H-H-H-H-H-W-H-W
Number of notes: 9
Tuning: Baritone (B Standard) (B-E-A-D-F#-B)
About Baritone (B Standard) Tuning
The baritone guitar is tuned a perfect fourth lower than standard guitar (B-E-A-D-F#-B), producing a distinctly beefy tone with serious low-end depth that sits perfectly between guitar and bass. Its rich, dark voice has made it a secret weapon in film scoring, ambient music, and moody songwriting where you need that unmistakable low-end warmth without losing clarity.
Unlike simply tuning a standard guitar down (which causes floppy strings and muddy tone), the baritone guitar uses a longer scale length (typically 27"-30") designed specifically for lower tunings. This gives each note clarity and definition even in the lowest register. Session musicians, film composers, and bedroom producers alike reach for the baritone when they need dark, atmospheric textures, doom-laden riffs, or simply a different sonic palette that standard guitar can't deliver.
Notable artists: Pat Metheny, Nels Cline, Brian Setzer, Baritone session players in Nashville
Best for: Moody songwriting, film scoring, ambient textures, doom metal, and any production that needs low-end depth with clarity
Musical Character
A 9-note 'super blues' scale that merges major and minor blues, giving improvisers absolute freedom to blend happy and gritty textures over dominant chords.