Guitar Scales A little practice. A lot of possibilities.STANDARD TUNING E A D G B E

EXPLORE. LISTEN. PLAY.

Your next scale starts here.

Choose a key and a scale. Follow the notes. Make it your own.

19scales to
discover

A Minor pentatonic

5 notes

Two-octave practice pattern · Frets 5–9

1234567891011121314150eBGDAEA · String 1 · Fret 5AG · String 2 · Fret 8GC · String 3 · Fret 5CD · String 3 · Fret 7DE · String 3 · Fret 9EG · String 4 · Fret 5GA · String 4 · Fret 7AD · String 5 · Fret 5DE · String 5 · Fret 7EA · String 6 · Fret 5AC · String 6 · Fret 8C
Root noteScale notePlaying
Click any note to hear it
Up & downTwo octaves · one note per beat

The notes in your scale

Tap to listen

Intervals tell you how each note relates to the root. ♭ = lower by one fret · ♯ = raise by one fret

Get to know this scale

Soulful · Open

Five notes, countless melodies. A useful first scale for blues, rock and acoustic improvisation.

TRY THIS

Start slowly. Let each note ring clearly before moving to the next.

New to fretboard diagrams?

The top line is the thinnest string (high E); the bottom is the thickest (low E). Fret 0 means play the string without pressing it. For other frets, press just behind the metal fret, toward the nut on the left.

Play the highlighted positions one at a time. The diagram shows where to press, not which finger to use. “Practice pattern” follows a compact two-octave path; “All notes” reveals the other places to find the same tones. Playback always follows the practice pattern.

Scale references: Fender: blues scales, Open Music Theory: modes, University of Puget Sound: jazz scales.

CHORD EXPLORER

See what makes a chord.

Choose a chord, find its shape, and hear the notes inside it.

7 × 3roots and
chord types

D major

DOpen chord

4 strings · 3 different notes sounding: D · A · F♯

123456780eBGDAEF♯ · Major third · String 1 · Fret 2, finger 2F♯D · Root · String 2 · Fret 3, finger 3DA · Perfect fifth · String 3 · Fret 2, finger 1AD · Root · String 4 · OpenD××
RootThirdFifth○ Open · × Skip string
Click a note to hear it

Strum from the D string down.

The three chord tones in D

Several strings can play the same note in different octaves. This shape uses 4 strings and sounds 3 different note names.

Why major?

A major chord uses the root, major third, and perfect fifth. In D, that is D, F♯, A.

MajorDF♯A
MinorDFA

Lower the major third by one semitone to get the minor third. The root and fifth stay the same.

TRY THIS

Switch between D major and minor. Listen for the third; it changes the character of the chord.

Your shape, string by string

Thickest → thinnest
String 6 · E×Do not play
String 5 · A×Do not play
String 4 · DDOpen string
String 3 · GAFret 2 · Finger 1
String 2 · BDFret 3 · Finger 3
String 1 · eF♯Fret 2 · Finger 2

Finger numbers: 1 index · 2 middle · 3 ring · 4 little finger. Press just behind each metal fret, toward the nut on the left.