Db Major Pentatonic Scale — All 5 Box Positions on Guitar

Db major pentatonic has five notes — Db, Eb, F, Ab and Bb — and a bright, open sound used across rock, country, pop and gospel. Box 1 sits at the 8th fret, with the same shapes as D major pentatonic one fret lower. It shares every note with Bb minor pentatonic: treat Db as home and it sounds major, treat Bb as home and it sounds minor.

Db Major Pentatonic on the Full Neck

Red dots are the root, Db. Double-ringed dots are shared by two boxes — that is where you slide from one box into the next.

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Db Major Pentatonic chart (PDF)

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The 5 Db Major Pentatonic Box Positions

Each box holds all five notes in a four-to-five-fret span. New to the scale? Learn Box 1 first, then add the boxes on either side of it.

Box 1 — Frets 8–11

The root box. Db is at fret 9 on the high e string, fret 11 on the D string and fret 9 on the low E string.

Box 2 — Frets 10–14

Sits around the 12th-fret double dot, so it is easy to find. The widest box — it spans five frets. Db is at fret 14 on the B string and fret 11 on the D string.

Box 3 — Frets 1–4

Db is at fret 2 on the B string and fret 4 on the A string.

Box 4 — Frets 3–6

Db is at fret 6 on the G string and fret 4 on the A string.

Box 5 — Frets 6–9

Db is at fret 9 on the high e string, fret 6 on the G string and fret 9 on the low E string.

How to Learn Db Major Pentatonic, Step by Step

1. Box 1 first (frets 8–11). Play it up and down with a metronome at 60–80 BPM until you can do it without looking. Start and end on Db.
2. Add Box 2 (frets 10–14). It shares notes with Box 1 — use those shared notes to slide between the two.
3. Learn Boxes 3, 4 and 5 the same way, one at a time, always connecting each new box to one you already know.
4. Use it over music. Put on a backing track in Db major and improvise with short phrases, ending them on Db.

What Chords Does Db Major Pentatonic Work Over?

It fits over Db, Dbmaj7, Db6 and Dbadd9, and over Db–Gb–Ab progressions. Because it is also Bb minor pentatonic, the same shapes work over songs in Bb minor.

Progressions to Practice Db Major Pentatonic Over

Frequently Asked Questions

What fret does Db major pentatonic start on?

Box 1 covers frets 8–11, with the root note Db at fret 9 on the low E string. Lower down, Box 3 (frets 1–4) covers the first few frets.

What notes are in Db major pentatonic?

Db, Eb, F, Ab, and Bb — the intervals 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6.

Is Db major pentatonic the same as Bb minor pentatonic?

They share the same five notes and the same box shapes. Treat Db as home and it sounds major; treat Bb as home and it sounds minor.

What is the difference between Db major pentatonic and the Db major scale?

The Db major scale has seven notes (Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C). The pentatonic drops Gb and C, the two notes a half step from their neighbors, which is why it is hard to hit a wrong-sounding note with it.

Triads and Arpeggios in Db Major

The Db major triad (Db · F · Ab) sits inside every Db major pentatonic box, so you can outline the chord without changing position. See its shapes in every inversion on the guitar triads page, and the major arpeggio across all six strings on the guitar arpeggios page. Full pages: Db major triads (written as C# major) and the Dbmaj7 arpeggio (written as C#maj7).

CAGED Shapes in Db Major

Each Db major pentatonic box holds one shape of the Db chord: Box 1 the E shape, Box 2 the D shape, Box 3 the C shape, Box 4 the A shape and Box 5 the G shape. See how the five shapes connect up the neck in the CAGED system guide.

Explore Other Keys

See also: Minor pentatonic scale · Major pentatonic scale · Blues scale

← Read the full guide: How to Use Pentatonic Boxes