D Neapolitan Major Scale

What is the D Neapolitan Major Scale?

The Neapolitan major scale is a major scale with a lowered 2nd degree (♭2), creating a lush but unsettling sound that's been used in classical composition since the Baroque era. The contrast between the bright major tonality and the dark ♭2 makes it one of the most unusual major-type scales available. Here's how the D Neapolitan Major Scale lays out on the fretboard.

Notes and Positions

Minor scale with a lowered 2nd and natural 6th and 7th; tense, dramatic, and brighter than Neapolitan minor. On bass, this scale becomes a toolkit for strong roots, passing tones, and melodic fills that still support the groove. Think in root-on-E and root-on-A boxes, then adapt the same notes for 5-string bass when the low B string gives you another root below the pattern. In the key of D, the notes are: D, Eb, F, G, A, B, C#.

How to Use It

You'll often hear it in Classical, Film Scores, and Modern Jazz. A good way to internalize the sound is to sing the root, then sing a few scale degrees before you play them.

Build two-bar bass lines that return to the root before experimenting with wider melodic movement. Use the interactive fretboard above to spot repeats of the same note on different strings and frets.