D Major Augmented Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Double Drop D tuning — fretboard diagram
D Major Augmented in Double Drop D — Notes and Intervals
The D Major Augmented scale is an unstable and rich scale used to bridge complex dominant harmonies. On Guitar, its notes are D, E, F#, G, A#, B, C#. It provides a shifting, liquid texture to music and is used in modern classical and jazz to avoid traditional tonal resolutions. Commonly used in Jazz, Modern Classical, Fusion. Notable players include Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock. Use over augmented and Maj7#5 chords. Creates a shimmering, unresolved quality for modern jazz and classical passages.
Notes: D, E, F#, G, A#, B, C#
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4P, 5A, 6M, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 3 4 #5 6 7
Formula: W-W-H-WH-H-W-H
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Double Drop D (D-A-D-G-B-D)
Also known as: major #5, ionian augmented, ionian #5
About Double Drop D Tuning
Double Drop D tuning (D-A-D-G-B-D) lowers both the 6th and 1st strings from E to D, creating a symmetrical frame of D notes around the standard middle four strings. This gives a distinctly resonant, jangly character that has been beloved in folk-rock and acoustic music since the late 1960s.
Neil Young used Double Drop D extensively — 'Cinnamon Girl' features its distinctive droning riff, and 'The Needle and the Damage Done' showcases its intimate fingerpicking potential. Jimmy Page used it on Led Zeppelin's 'Going to California'. Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' also employs this tuning. Because only two strings change (both by just one whole step), Double Drop D is one of the easiest alternate tunings to learn — most standard chord shapes on the inner four strings remain unchanged.
Notable artists: Neil Young, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Best for: Folk-rock songwriting, D-centric acoustic arrangements, droning fingerpicking patterns, and any song that benefits from rich D-string resonance on both outer strings
Musical Character
An unstable scale that creates a liquid, shifting texture — perfect for avoiding traditional resolutions and keeping harmony in constant motion.
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D Major Augmented in Standard Tuning
- D Major Augmented in Drop D
- D Major Augmented in DADGAD
- D Major Augmented in Open G
- D Major Augmented in Baritone (B Standard)
- D Major Augmented in 7-string
- D Major Augmented in 8-string
- D Major Augmented in Drop C
- D Major Augmented in Drop B
- D Major Augmented in Open D
- D Major Augmented in Half Step Down
- D Major Augmented in Open E
- D Major Augmented in Open A
- D Major Augmented in Open C