D Major scale - Music theory (2024)

the D major scale has just a two sharps (2 ♯) and according to the order of sharps they are the F sharp and the C sharp (F♯ & C♯).
The names of the notes in the D major scale are: D E F♯ G A B C♯

Like all other major scales, D major scale is composed by this sequence of

whole steps and half steps (tones and semitones )

:

:1 Whole step / 1 Whole step / 1 half step / 1 Whole step / 1 Whole step / 1 Whole step / 1 half step

: 1 Tone / 1 Tone / 1 semitone / 1 Tone / 1 Tone / 1 Tone / 1 semitone

Key signature of D major scale

The key signature of D Major has two sharps (2♯).

D Major scale in most common clefs

Here is D major scale in most common clefs: treble clef, bass clef, tenor clef and alto clef.

D Major scale in treble clef (G-clef)

Below is the D major scale in treble clef:

D Major scale in bass clef

Below is the D major scale in bass clef:

D Major scale in alto clef

Below is the D major scale in alto clef:

D Major scale in tenor clef

Below is the D major scale in tenor clef:

Scale degrees of D major

Closely related keys of D Major

Relative minor key of D Major

The relative minor key of D Major is B minor and below if the B minor natural scale:

Parallel Key of D Major

Parallel Key of D Major (or hom*onymous key) is D minor scale, here is the D harmonic minor scale :

Leading Tone of D Major

The leading Tone of D Major is C sharp, because C sharp is the degree VII and is distant to a seventh major of the tonic, or an half step (semitone ) lower than the tonic).

Chords of D major scale

D major scale on a piano

Below is the D major scale on a piano:

You will notice that only the white piano keys are used. Music notes must be played successively from left to right to obtain the ascending scale, or from right to left for the descending scale.

D major triad chord

The D major triad chord as a root note (D), a major third (D / F sharp) and a perfect fifth (D / A):

And below is the D major triad chord on a piano keyboard:

Authentic cadence (perfect cadence) in D major

Here is an Authentic cadence (perfect cadence ) in D major :

D major scale video

Here is a D major video:

D major on the circle of fifths

You can find D major on the circle of fifths and its key signature, relative minor key and closely related keys :

Famous works D major

Here are some works by famous composers composed in D major:

Pachelbel's Canon

Canon by Pachelbel (1653-1706) is composed using the key of D major, this famous canon is originally composed for three violins with basso continuo.

Aria from suite #3 in D major BWV 1068, J.S. BACH

The Aria in Suite No. 3 in D major BWV 1068 by J.S. BACH is composed in D major. Here is a free extract recorded in 1954 by the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by George Szell (Source, License Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0):

test your knowledge

How much sharps in D major?

What is the relative minor of D major?

What is the dominant note in D major?

What are the major chords of D major?

What are the minor chords of D major?

D Major key signature

What is the key signature of D major? How many sharps are in the key of D major key? Here is the answer: