Camera, Mic & Media
Music Scale Visualizer & Reference - Guitar Fretboard & Piano
Visualize any music scale on a guitar fretboard and piano keyboard. Supports major, minor, pentatonic, blues, modes and more for all 12 roots.
C Major (Ionian) notes:
Guitar Fretboard
| Str | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e | E | F | G | A | B | C | D | E | |||||
| B | B | C | D | E | F | G | A | B | |||||
| G | G | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | |||||
| D | D | E | F | G | A | B | C | D | |||||
| A | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | A | |||||
| E | E | F | G | A | B | C | D | E |
Blue = root note. Purple = scale notes. Column 0 = open string.
Piano Keyboard
Scales included
Major (Ionian), Natural Minor (Aeolian), Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Locrian, Major Pentatonic, Minor Pentatonic, Blues.
How to use the fretboard
Blue circles mark the root note. Purple/indigo circles mark other notes in the scale. Empty positions are not in the scale. Fret 0 is the open string.
Music theory context
A scale is an ordered set of pitches spanning an octave, defined by a pattern of intervals (the distances between successive notes). The most common scales are the major scale (sounds bright and happy) and the minor scale (sounds darker or more somber). The key difference is the interval pattern - major uses Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Whole-Half, while natural minor uses Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole.
Pentatonic scales (5-note subsets of the major or minor scales) are especially popular for improvisation because every note sounds consonant together - there are no "avoid notes." The blues scale adds one chromatic note (the ♭5, or "blue note") to the minor pentatonic, adding tension and expression that defines blues, rock, and jazz phrasing.
Scale interval formulas
W = whole step (2 frets), H = half step (1 fret)
| Scale | Interval pattern |
|---|---|
| Major (Ionian) | W-W-H-W-W-W-H |
| Natural Minor (Aeolian) | W-H-W-W-H-W-W |
| Harmonic Minor | W-H-W-W-H-WH-H (WH = 1.5 steps) |
| Dorian | W-H-W-W-W-H-W |
| Phrygian | H-W-W-W-H-W-W |
| Lydian | W-W-W-H-W-W-H |
| Mixolydian | W-W-H-W-W-H-W |
| Locrian | H-W-W-H-W-W-W |
| Major Pentatonic | W-W-WH-W-WH |
| Minor Pentatonic | WH-W-W-WH-W |
| Blues | WH-W-H-H-WH-W |
Practice suggestions
Use the fretboard visualizer to learn scale positions across the neck rather than just in one area. The CAGED system connects five overlapping scale shapes (named for their open-chord shapes: C, A, G, E, D) that together cover the entire fretboard. Start by memorizing one shape in a comfortable position, then find where it connects to the next shape above it on the neck.
Practice shifting between positions by identifying the common notes where two adjacent shapes overlap. Playing in multiple positions prevents the "box" pattern habit and opens up the full range of the instrument for melodic ideas.