Guitar Scales
Pick a root and a scale and watch it light up across the whole fretboard. Show note names, scale degrees or intervals, switch tunings, flip left-handed, and click any dot to hear the note.
Tip: brighter dots are the root. Click any dot to hear it. Switch to Intervals to see the same shape move to any key.
How to use the guitar scales tool
Choose a root note and a scale, and every place that scale falls on the neck lights up at once. The nut is on the left, the open-string names run down the side in standard high E to low E order, and the numbers along the bottom are the frets. Root notes glow brighter so you can always find where a shape begins and ends.
Flip the label style to suit what you are working on. Notes spells the real pitches with correct sharps and flats, Degrees numbers them 1–7 within the scale, and Intervals labels each note by its distance from the root (R, 2, ♭3, 4, 5…) — the view that makes a shape portable to any key. Pair it with the piano scale finder to see the same scale on a keyboard, and the guitar tuner to get in tune first.
Scales worth knowing on guitar
- Minor & major pentatonic. Five notes, five easy shapes — the foundation of rock, blues and pop lead playing.
- The blues scale. The minor pentatonic plus the ♭5 “blue note” that gives licks their bite.
- Major, natural, harmonic & melodic minor. The full seven-note scales behind melody and harmony.
- The seven modes. Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian and the rest — different colors from the same set of notes.
Alternate tunings
Playing in Drop D, tuned a half step down, or in an open tuning like Open G or DADGAD? Choose it from the tuning menu and the board recomputes every note for that tuning, so the scale still maps correctly even as the familiar shapes shift.
From shapes to solos
Shapes are step one; phrasing them in time is the next. Loop your scale runs against the free online metronome, test your ear on the rhythm trainer, and when a lick starts to feel musical, take it out of the box and connect the positions across the neck.
Frequently asked questions
How do I read a scale on the fretboard?
Each dot marks a note of the scale on that string and fret. The nut is on the left, the open strings are labelled down the side, and the numbers below are the frets. Root notes are shown in a brighter color so you can see where each octave of the scale begins.
What is the difference between notes, degrees and intervals?
Notes shows the actual pitch names (A, C♯, and so on). Degrees numbers the notes 1 to 7 in the scale. Intervals labels each note by its distance from the root — R, 2, ♭3, 4, 5 and so on — which is the fastest way to move the same shape to any key.
What is the most important guitar scale to learn first?
The minor pentatonic scale. It has just five notes, its shapes lie neatly under the fingers, and it powers most rock, blues and pop soloing. A minor to C or E and back is where most lead playing begins. From there the blues scale adds one note and the full major and minor scales fill in the rest.
Do the shapes work in alternate tunings?
Yes. Choose Drop D, half-step down, Open G or DADGAD from the tuning menu and the fretboard recalculates every note position for that tuning, so the scale still lights up correctly even though the shapes move.
Practice your scales in time
Set a tempo and run them clean with the free online metronome.