D# Messiaen's Mode #6 Guitar Scale
Guitar scale in Double Drop D tuning — fretboard diagram
D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Double Drop D — Notes and Intervals
The D# Messiaen's Mode #6 scale is a symmetrical scale associated with radiance and light. On Guitar, its notes are D#, F, G, G#, A, B, B##, D. It creates a uniform coloration that transcends traditional keys, making the music sound brilliant and enlightened. Commonly used in Contemporary Classical, Sacred Music, Experimental. Notable players include Olivier Messiaen. Use for creating a sense of radiant, enlightened calm. Best in sustained, atmospheric contexts.
Notes: D#, F, G, G#, A, B, B##, D
Intervals: 1P, 2M, 3M, 4P, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7M
Degrees: 1 2 3 4 #5 #6 #7 8
Formula: W-W-H-H-W-W-H-H
Number of notes: 8
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
Associated with radiance and light in Messiaen's system — creates a uniform, brilliant coloration that transcends traditional keys.
Explore This Scale in Other Tunings
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Standard Tuning
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Drop D
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in DADGAD
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Open G
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Baritone (B Standard)
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in 7-string
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in 8-string
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Drop C
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Drop B
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Open D
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Half Step Down
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Open E
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Open A
- D# Messiaen's Mode #6 in Open C