Soul / R&B · D Major · 112 BPM

Soul / R&B Backing Track in D Major

16-bar arrangement from the “Motown Feel” demo, at 112 BPM. Chord chart, scale positions and practice drills for D major.

Open in the app · D · 112 BPM

Hear the soul / r&b feel: “Motown Feel” · D major · 112 BPM

This is the recording of the arrangement charted above, in D major at 112 BPM.

16-bar chord chart in D Major

16-bar arrangement from the “Motown Feel” demo. Count four beats per bar; each card shows where the chord starts.

  1. Bar 1 D I · 4 beats
  2. Bar 2 G IV · 4 beats
  3. Bar 3 A V · 4 beats
  4. Bar 4 G IV · 4 beats
  5. Bar 5 D I · 4 beats
  6. Bar 6 G IV · 4 beats
  7. Bar 7 A V · 4 beats
  8. Bar 8 G IV · 4 beats
  9. Bar 9 D I · 4 beats
  10. Bar 10 Bm7 vi7 · 4 beats
  11. Bar 11 G IV · 4 beats
  12. Bar 12 A V · 4 beats
  13. Bar 13 D I · 4 beats
  14. Bar 14 Bm7 vi7 · 4 beats
  15. Bar 15 G IV · 4 beats
  16. Bar 16 A V · 4 beats

Chart of the bundled demo arrangement. The demo's inspiration prompt is a style reference, not a transcription of a song.

Open in the app: Soul / R&B, D, 112 BPM Open the original demo (D major)

The app opens with the style, key, tempo and this chart filled in; press Generate to create your track (it counts toward your daily generations). The original demo opens the recorded arrangement without a generation.

More about “Motown Feel”

Chord chart and notes for “Motown Feel”.

I–vi–IV–V in D Major

The doo-wop / soul backbone. Every motown-era hit you can hum is built on this.

I
D
VI
Bm
IV
G
V
A
Generate a backing track over these changes →

Scales to solo in D Major

Three scales that sit well over soul / r&b in D major. Each one gives the line a different color — try them all and notice what changes.

Scale
D Major Pentatonic
D E F# A B
Scale
D Mixolydian
D E F# G A B C
Scale
D Major Scale
D E F# G A B C#

Where to play in D Major

Five-fret windows in standard tuning, anchored on D on the low E string. Highlighted notes are the root.

D Major Pentatonic
Stringfret 9fret 10fret 11fret 12fret 13
e D E
B A B
G E F#
D B D
A F# A
E D E
Notes: D E F# A B. Root on the 6th string at fret 10, on the 5th string at fret 5.
D Mixolydian
Stringfret 9fret 10fret 11fret 12fret 13
e D E
B A B C
G E F# G
D B C D
A F# G A
E D E
Notes: D E F# G A B C. Root on the 6th string at fret 10, on the 5th string at fret 5.

Practice drills

  1. 1. Find the changes in D Major

    Play only the root on the first beat of each change: D (bar 1, D), G (bar 2, G), A (bar 3, A), G (bar 4, G), D (bar 5, D), G (bar 6, G), A (bar 7, A), G (bar 8, G), D (bar 9, D), B (bar 10, Bm7), and so on through the form. Keep counting through every bar that holds the same chord; the form resolves back to D.

  2. 2. Target the guide tones

    When each chord arrives, land on its third and hold it for a beat: F# over D, B over G, C# over A, D over Bm7. Then repeat with the seventh (see the table) to hear how the line leads into the next chord.

  3. 3. D Major Pentatonic in position

    Play D Major Pentatonic (D E F# A B) up and down in frets 9–13, one note per beat at 112 BPM. Start and finish on D: 6th string fret 10, or 5th string fret 5 for the next position up.

Guide tones for every chord in the chart
ChordRoot3rd7th / 6th
DDF#—
GGB—
AAC#—
Bm7BDA (b7)

Keep practicing

Try Soul / R&B in another key

Chord chart, scale positions and practice drills in the keys soul / r&b is most often played in.

C Major D Major G Major D Minor E Minor
← Back to all soul / r&b tracks

Play Soul / R&B in D Major

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