D Neapolitan majorScale

Formula

H W W W W W H 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7
The family

D Neapolitan major on the chromatic circle

D Neapolitan major is one of the exotic scales. Pick another note on the circle to open the scale that starts there.

H W W W W W H 1 DI Neapolitan major ♭2 E♭II ♭3 FIII 4 GIV 5 AV 6 BVI 7 C♯VII D Neapolitan major
The whole neck

D Neapolitan major across the fretboard

Every note of the scale up to the 16th fret, named by its degree. The root is a ring. Step through the five CAGED positions one at a time in the scale library.

3 5 7 9 12 15 ♭3 4 5 6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 1 ♭3 4 5 6 7 1 ♭2 ♭3 4
Harmony

Chords in D Neapolitan major

Stack every other note of the scale from each degree and you get its chords. Open any of them in the chord library.

DegreeChordNotes
iDm(maj7)D F A C♯
♭II+E♭maj7♯5E♭ G B D
♭III+F7♯5F A C♯ E♭
IVG7G B D F
VA7♭5A C♯ E♭ G
vi°Bm7♭5B D F A
VII C♯ (𝄫3 ♭5 ♭7) C♯ E♭ G B
Context

Where D Neapolitan major fits

A minor 3rd under a major upper half, with a ♭2: rare, used for colour in classical music and modern jazz.

Move one note by a half step and you get a different scale:

Neapolitan major scale in every key

D Neapolitan major scale questions

What notes are in the D Neapolitan major scale?

D E♭ F G A B C♯. As degrees from the root: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7.

What is the D Neapolitan major scale formula?

1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 6 7, or in steps between the notes, H W W W W W H (W is a whole step of two frets, H a half step of one fret, 1½ three frets).

How do you play the D Neapolitan major scale on guitar?

This page draws every note of D Neapolitan major up to the 16th fret, each named by its degree with the root as a ring. To learn it a few frets at a time, open it in the scale library and step through its five CAGED positions, from the C shape to the A shape to the G shape to the E shape to the D shape.

What chords are in the D Neapolitan major scale?

Dm(maj7) (i), E♭maj7♯5 (♭II+), F7♯5 (♭III+), G7 (IV), A7♭5 (V), Bm7♭5 (vi°), C♯ (𝄫3 ♭5 ♭7) (VII).

When is the D Neapolitan major scale used?

A minor 3rd under a major upper half, with a ♭2: rare, used for colour in classical music and modern jazz.