D# Hungarian Major Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Double Drop D tuning — fretboard diagram
D# Hungarian Major in Double Drop D — Notes and Intervals
The D# Hungarian Major scale is a heptatonic scale that provides an Eastern European dominant sound. On Guitar, the notes are D#, E##, G, A, A#, C, C#. It offers a unique, exotic brightness that is excellent for adding cultural character to a composition. Commonly used in Classical, Eastern European Folk, Film Scores. Notable players include Bela Bartok, Zoltan Kodaly. Use over dominant chords in Eastern European folk contexts. Adds cultural character to compositions.
Notes: D#, E##, G, A, A#, C, C#
Intervals: 1P, 2A, 3M, 4A, 5P, 6M, 7m
Degrees: 1 #2 3 #4 5 6 b7
Formula: WH-H-W-H-W-H-W
Number of notes: 7
Tuning: Double Drop D (D-A-D-G-B-D)
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
A major scale with both a #4 (Lydian) and b7 (Mixolydian) plus an added b3 — creating an Eastern European dominant color unlike any standard Western mode.
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D# Hungarian Major in Standard Tuning
- D# Hungarian Major in Drop D
- D# Hungarian Major in DADGAD
- D# Hungarian Major in Open G
- D# Hungarian Major in Baritone (B Standard)
- D# Hungarian Major in 7-string
- D# Hungarian Major in 8-string
- D# Hungarian Major in Drop C
- D# Hungarian Major in Drop B
- D# Hungarian Major in Open D
- D# Hungarian Major in Half Step Down
- D# Hungarian Major in Open E
- D# Hungarian Major in Open A
- D# Hungarian Major in Open C