Guitar Scales
Guitar scales on the whole neck: pick a key and a scale, see every note, then learn it one position at a time and hear it played up and down.
Tap any dot to hear it. Keyboard: Space plays or stops the position, ← → step through the positions.
How to use the guitar scales chart
This guitar scales chart shows any scale on the whole neck: pick a key and a scale, such as the minor pentatonic, the blues scale, the major scale or a mode, then learn it one position at a time and hear each position played up and down. Like a printed guitar scale chart, it covers the neck up to the 22nd fret, but you choose what is on it. Choose the Key (the root note) and the Scale: major, the three minor scales, major and minor pentatonic, blues and the seven modes. The dark orange dots are the root, so you can see where the scale starts in every part of the neck. Switch the dots between Note names and Scale degrees (1, b3, 4, 5, b7 and so on) with the chips under the neck.
The Position chips cut the neck into playable boxes. Whole neck shows everything; 1, 2 and so on dim every note outside that box. Press Play position to hear the box from its lowest note to its highest and back down, at the speed you pick (one note per beat). Tap any dot to hear that single note. On a computer, Space starts and stops playback and the left and right arrow keys step through the positions. The Tuning menu redraws everything for drop D, DADGAD, open G and the other tunings.
The five minor pentatonic positions
The pentatonic scale guitar players usually learn first is the minor pentatonic. It has five notes: in A they are A C D E G. On the guitar they fall into five boxes that link up along the neck, each with two notes on every string. Position 1 starts on the root on the low E string; each of the next positions starts on the next scale note on that string, and the last one leads back into position 1 an octave higher. In standard tuning, A minor pentatonic sits here:
| Position | Starts on (low E string) | Frets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 5 to 8 |
| 2 | C | 7 to 10 |
| 3 | D | 9 to 13 |
| 4 | E | 12 to 15 |
| 5 | G | 14 to 17 |
Move the whole pattern up or down to change key: the same five shapes work for every root, only the fret numbers change. Position 3 spans five frets because the G and B strings are a major third apart instead of a fourth, so the shape shifts up one fret on the B string. That jog appears in every scale shape in standard tuning.
Major pentatonic and the relative minor
The C major pentatonic scale is C D E G A: the same five notes as A minor pentatonic, starting on C. So the five boxes are shared. What changes is the root you land on and the sound you aim for. Pick Major pentatonic and key C and you will see the same dots as A minor pentatonic, with the orange roots moved to the Cs. Every minor pentatonic has a relative major pentatonic three frets higher, and the circle of fifths shows every pair of relative keys.
The blues scale
The blues scale is the minor pentatonic with one note added: the flat fifth, often called the blue note. In A it is A C D Eb E G. Choose Blues in the tool and the extra note appears between the 4 and the 5 in every position. It is a passing note: players slide or bend through it on the way to the 5 more often than they rest on it.
How to practise a scale position
- Learn one position at a time. Play it up and down slowly with Play position at 60 BPM, then play along.
- Say or think the degree as you play: switch the dots to Scale degrees so you know where the root, the 3 and the 5 are, not only the shape.
- Use a metronome and raise the speed only when the position is clean.
- Join two neighbouring positions by sliding between them on one string.
- Find the chord shapes inside the scale: the root, 3 and 5 of each box are the notes of the chord in guitar chords.
To learn the names of every fret, not only the scale notes, use the fretboard notes trainer.
More for guitar: Guitar Tuner · Guitar Chords · Guitar Chord Finder · Fretboard Notes · Capo Chart · Virtual Guitar · Guitar Tab Maker · Chord Chart Maker · Online Guitar Amp · Guitar Effects · Online Looper
Questions
What are the five pentatonic positions?
They are the five boxes the pentatonic scale makes on the neck, each starting on a different scale note of the low E string. In A minor pentatonic in standard tuning they sit at frets 5 to 8, 7 to 10, 9 to 13, 12 to 15 and 14 to 17. Position 1 is the one with the root under your first finger on the low E string.
What is the difference between the pentatonic and the blues scale?
The blues scale adds one note to the minor pentatonic: the flat fifth. A minor pentatonic is A C D E G; the A blues scale is A C D Eb E G.
Which guitar scale should I learn first?
Most players start with the minor pentatonic in position 1, because it has only five notes, two per string, and fits a lot of rock and blues. The major scale comes next, since the modes and the chords of a key are built from it.
Does this work for drop D and other tunings?
Yes. Pick a tuning in the menu and the notes and positions are worked out again for the new open strings. Positions in open and drop tunings can need wider stretches than in standard tuning.