Minor
D Natural Minor Scale on Piano
D natural minor is the relative minor of F major and uses a single flat, Bb. It has a long reputation in Western music as the most serious and melancholy of the common keys — Mozart even used it for his Requiem.
Notes of the D Minor Scale
| Degree | Note | Interval from root |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D | Root |
| 2 | E | Major 2nd |
| 3 | F | Minor 3rd |
| 4 | G | Perfect 4th |
| 5 | A | Perfect 5th |
| 6 | Bb | Minor 6th |
| 7 | C | Minor 7th |
| 8 | D | Octave |
W-H-W-W-H-W-WW · H · W · W · H · W · WLowering B to Bb gives the natural minor step pattern when starting from D.
D Minor on the Staff
One octave ascending in treble clef with the key signature of D minor (1 flat: Bb).
Fingering
- 1D
- 2E
- 3F
- 1G
- 2A
- 3Bb
- 4C
- 5D
- 5D
- 4E
- 3F
- 2G
- 1A
- 3Bb
- 2C
- 1D
Numbers indicate fingers: 1 = thumb, 2 = index, 3 = middle, 4 = ring, 5 = little. Both rows are shown in ascending order (low note to high note). Note the left hand starts on the pinky (5) at the lowest note and crosses the middle finger over the thumb to continue upward — that is why the left-hand numbers count down before cycling again.
Diatonic Chords in D Minor
The seven triads built on each scale degree — the harmonic backbone of any piece written in this key.
Where You Hear This Scale
D minor has been called "the saddest of all keys" at least since Nigel Tufnel said so in Spinal Tap, but the association is older: Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven all wrote some of their darkest works here. The single flat sits comfortably under the fourth finger going up in the right hand, making it one of the friendlier minor scales to practice.
Train Your Ear to Recognize This Scale
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