D Aeolian Mode on the Guitar – 5 CAGED Positions, Tabs and Theory

‘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 Mode Open Position Frets
D Aeolian Mode Open Position Notes

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 Mode 1st Position Frets
D Aeolian Mode 1st Position Notes

D Aeolian 5th Position (Lowest Fret is 5)

D Aeolian Mode 5th Position Frets
D Aeolian Mode 5th Position Notes

D Aeolian 6th Position (Lowest Fret is 6)

D Aeolian Mode 6th Position Frets
D Aeolian Mode 6th Position Notes

D Aeolian 9th Position (Lowest Fret is 9)

D Aeolian Mode 9th Position Frets
D Aeolian Mode 9th Position Notes

D Aeolian 9th Position (Lowest Fret is 9)

D Aeolian Mode 12th Position Frets
D Aeolian Mode 12th Position Notes

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

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