‘D Aeolian’ is the 6th mode of the F major scale. The notes in D Aeolian are:
D – E – F – G – A – Bb – C
If you have read the post on understanding the aeolian mode, you will know that the aeolian mode contains a ‘flat 3’, a ‘flat 6’ and a ‘flat 7’ (parallel approach). You will also know that it is the 6th mode of the major scale (derivative approach). The aeolian mode is a very commonly used mode and is also known as the ‘natural minor scale’. Let’s briefly look at how to construct D aeolian using both the parallel approach and the derivative approach.
D Aeolian Mode Using The Parallel Approach
D Major has the following notes:
D – E – F# – G – A – B – C#
If we ‘lower’ the 3rd note (F#), 6th note (B) and 7th note (C#), we get the following:
D – E – F – G – A – Bb – C
D Aeolian Mode Using The Derivative Approach
D is the 6th note of the F major scale:
F – G – A – Bb – C – D – E
If we play the F major scale and start on the 6th note we get the following:
D – E – F – G – A – Bb – C
Let’s look at the D aeolian mode in the different positions on the guitar fretboard:
D Aeolian in the Open Position
Firstly, let’s look at the open position:
D Aeolian CAGED Positions
Now let’s look at D aeolian in the 5 different CAGED positions along the fretboard.
D Aeolian 1st Position (Lowest Fret is 1)
D Aeolian 5th Position (Lowest Fret is 5)
D Aeolian 6th Position (Lowest Fret is 6)
D Aeolian 9th Position (Lowest Fret is 9)
D Aeolian 9th Position (Lowest Fret is 9)
That covers the 5 basic positions and the open position of D aeolian along the guitar fretboard. For an in depth explanation of the aeolian mode, check out aeolian mode explained.
Further Reading
- Dm chord (D Aeolian works well over this chord)
- Dm7 chord (D Aeolian works well over this chord)
- F Major scale is the relative Major of D minor
