The key of D major on mandolin
D E F♯ G A B C♯ — and everything inside it.
The key of D major on mandolin: the scale, the chord on every degree, the seventh chords and the pentatonics — drawn above, each a tap away. The row of chips over the mandolin is the key’s chords; the dropdown switches it to seventh chords or pentatonics, the shape menu draws a chord as one grip at a time, and a tap on any note finds the chords that hold it. For the why, read chords in a key.
The notes of D major
D major is D E F♯ G A B C♯: the major scale on D, seven notes, labeled 1 to 7 on the mandolin above. The scale on its own, in every position, is on its page.
The chords in D major
The triad on each degree, stacked from the key’s own notes; the numeral’s case is the chord’s quality. The explorer above draws the six you can rest on.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | D | D F♯ A |
| ii | Em | E G B |
| iii | F♯m | F♯ A C♯ |
| IV | G | G B D |
| V | A | A C♯ E |
| vi | Bm | B D F♯ |
| vii° | C♯° — passed through, not rested on | C♯ E G |
The seventh chords in D major
One more third on each — the row on “Tetrads” above.
| Degree | Chord | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Dmaj7 | D F♯ A C♯ |
| ii7 | Em7 | E G B D |
| iii7 | F♯m7 | F♯ A C♯ E |
| IVmaj7 | Gmaj7 | G B D F♯ |
| V7 | A7 | A C♯ E G |
| vi7 | Bm7 | B D F♯ A |
| viiø7 | C♯m7♭5 — passed through, not rested on | C♯ E G B |
The pentatonics in D major
The five-note scale on each degree that fits inside the key — major where the degree’s chord is major, minor where it is minor. The row on “Pentatonics” above.
| Degree | Scale | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I | D pent | D E F♯ A B |
| ii | Em pent | E G A B D |
| iii | F♯m pent | F♯ A B C♯ E |
| IV | G pent | G A B D E |
| V | A pent | A B C♯ E F♯ |
| vi | Bm pent | B D E F♯ A |
| vii | C♯m pent — not in the key | C♯ E F♯ A♭ B |
The same notes from another home
Relative minor: B minor; Its dorian mode: E dorian; Its phrygian mode: F♯ phrygian; Its lydian mode: G lydian; Its mixolydian mode: A mixolydian. Parallel minor, the same root with different notes: D minor.