GuitarManac

Guitar scales

180 scales in every key. Start with A minor pentatonic, the one most players learn first.

Notes in the scaleTap one to hear it and find it on the neck

  1. 1
  2. ♭3
  3. 4
  4. 5
  5. ♭7
Key
CC♯DE♭EFF♯GG♯AB♭B
Scale

Every A minor pentatonic note on the neck. Pick a position to learn it one shape at a time.

3579121517EGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEGA
Scale chart and where to start

Which scale to learn first

  1. ACDEG
    1.A minor pentatonic scaleFive notes, two per string. The basis of most rock and blues solos.
  2. ACDE♭EG
    2.A blues scaleThe minor pentatonic plus one note. Adds the classic blues sound.
  3. CDEFGAB
    3.C major scaleThe scale the rest of music theory is measured against.
  4. ABCDEFG
    4.A minor scaleThe same notes as C major, starting on A. The sound of sad and serious songs.
  5. GABDE
    5.G major pentatonic scaleThe happy-sounding pentatonic, used in country and pop.
  6. DEFGABC
    6.D Dorian scaleThe first mode most players learn. Minor, but brighter.
Printable scales cheat sheet

Scale chart

The most used scales in all 12 keys.

KeyMajorMinorMajor pentatonicMinor pentatonicBluesDorianMixolydianHarmonic minor
CCCCCCCCC
C♯ / D♭D♭C♯D♭C♯C♯C♯D♭C♯
DDDDDDDDD
E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭
EEEEEEEEE
FFFFFFFFF
F♯F♯F♯F♯F♯F♯F♯F♯F♯
GGGGGGGGG
G♯ / A♭A♭G♯A♭G♯G♯G♯A♭G♯
AAAAAAAAA
B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭B♭
BBBBBBBBB

All scales by type

Major scales

The major scale is the reference point for almost all Western music. Its seven notes follow the step pattern W W H W W W H, and every other scale is usually described by how it differs from it. It sounds bright and resolved.

Minor scales

The natural minor scale, also called Aeolian, lowers the 3rd, 6th and 7th of the major scale. It uses the same notes as its relative major, starting from the 6th degree. It is the default sound of sad, dark or serious songs.

Major pentatonic scales

The major pentatonic drops the 4th and 7th from the major scale, which removes both half steps. With no notes that clash, it is hard to hit a wrong note, so it is a common first scale for soloing in country, pop and rock.

Minor pentatonic scales

The minor pentatonic is the most used soloing scale on guitar. Its five notes fit in simple two-notes-per-string boxes, and it works over minor chords and over blues and rock progressions in the same key.

Blues scales

The blues scale is the minor pentatonic plus one extra note, the flat 5th. That note is usually passed through quickly or bent into, and it gives licks their bluesy tension.

Dorian scales

Dorian is a minor scale with a major 6th. That one raised note makes it sound less dark than natural minor. It is common in funk, jazz, and rock solos over a minor chord that stays put.

Phrygian scales

Phrygian is a minor scale with a flat 2nd. The half step between the root and the 2nd gives it a Spanish and metal flavour.

Lydian scales

Lydian is a major scale with a sharp 4th. It sounds bright and floating, and it shows up a lot in film music and dreamy rock.

Mixolydian scales

Mixolydian is a major scale with a flat 7th. It fits over dominant 7th chords, so it is the go-to sound for blues rock, classic rock riffs and jam bands.

Locrian scales

Locrian has a flat 2nd and a flat 5th, so its root chord is diminished. It is unstable and rarely used as a home key, but it fits over half-diminished chords.

Harmonic minor scales

Harmonic minor is natural minor with a raised 7th. The gap of three frets between the 6th and 7th gives it a classical and Middle Eastern sound, and the raised 7th makes the V chord major.

Melodic minor scales

Melodic minor is natural minor with a raised 6th and 7th, or a major scale with a flat 3rd. Jazz players use its modes over altered and half-diminished chords.

Whole tone scales

The whole tone scale is six notes, each a whole step apart. With no half steps there is no clear home note, which gives it a dreamy, unresolved sound.

Diminished scales

This is the whole-half diminished scale: eight notes alternating whole and half steps. It repeats every three frets, so one fingering pattern can be moved around the neck.

Chromatic scales

The chromatic scale is all 12 notes. It is less a scale to solo with than a map of the fretboard and a finger exercise.