Guitar scales chart
Six scales across the whole neck, all in A, with a table that moves them to any of the 12 keys. Print it or keep it on your phone.
The 6 scales on the sheet
Open a scale to hear it, change the key or learn one position.
- A major scaleA B C♯ D E F♯ G♯
- A minor scaleA B C D E F G
- A major pentatonic scaleA B C♯ E F♯
- A minor pentatonic scaleA C D E G
- A blues scaleA C D E♭ E G
- A Dorian scaleA B C D E F♯ G
Where the root sits for each key
Fret numbers. Put the root of the shape on that fret to play it in that key.
| Key | C | C♯ | D | E♭ | E | F | F♯ | G | A♭ | A | B♭ | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6th string | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 0/12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Printed
Move any scale to any key
Every scale on the chart is in A. To play it in another key, find that key in the table and move every note by the same number of frets. A to C is 3 frets up, so C major is the A major pattern moved up 3 frets.
The orange dots are the roots. Keep track of them when you move a scale, and the rest of the pattern follows.
Which scale to use
Over rock and blues in a minor key, start with the minor pentatonic and the blues scale. Over bright, happy songs, try the major pentatonic.
The major and minor scales are the ones music theory is built on. Dorian is a minor scale with a brighter 6th, heard in funk and in songs like Oye Como Va.
