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Guitar scales
The scales guitarists use most, each with every position on the neck, tab to practise, its notes, and the chords to play it over.
Pentatonic and blues scales
Five-note scales with no half steps, the sound of most rock and blues solos. Start here: the minor pentatonic box is the first scale most guitarists learn.
Major and minor scales
The seven-note scales keys are built on. Learn them to understand where chords come from and to play melodies in any key.
- C MajorC D E F G A B7 positions with tab
- G MajorG A B C D E F♯7 positions with tab
- D MajorD E F♯ G A B C♯7 positions with tab
- A MajorA B C♯ D E F♯ G♯7 positions with tab
- E MajorE F♯ G♯ A B C♯ D♯7 positions with tab
- A MinorA B C D E F G7 positions with tab
- E MinorE F♯ G A B C D7 positions with tab
- A Harmonic MinorA B C D E F G♯7 positions with tab
Modes
Major and minor scales with one note changed. Dorian is a brighter minor, Mixolydian a bluesier major.
Scale formulas
A formula lists each note of a scale by its distance from the root: b3 is a minor third, 3 a major third. The steps column counts the frets between neighbouring notes, so you can build the scale from any note.
| Scale | Formula | Steps (frets) |
|---|---|---|
| Minor pentatonic | 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 | 3-2-2-3-2 |
| Major pentatonic | 1 2 3 5 6 | 2-2-3-2-3 |
| Blues | 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 | 3-2-1-1-3-2 |
| Major (Ionian) | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | 2-2-1-2-2-2-1 |
| Natural minor (Aeolian) | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | 2-1-2-2-1-2-2 |
| Harmonic minor | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 | 2-1-2-2-1-3-1 |
| Dorian | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 | 2-1-2-2-2-1-2 |
| Mixolydian | 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 | 2-2-1-2-2-1-2 |
Need another key?
The fretboard shows twelve scales in any key, on guitar, bass, or ukulele, in standard or alternate tuning. Pick a root and a scale, and tap any note to hear it.
Open the fretboardWhich scale to learn first
Start with A minor pentatonic, position 1. It sits under one hand at the fifth fret, works over most rock and blues songs, and its shape moves to any key: slide it up two frets and it is B minor pentatonic. Then add the blues note, learn the major scale for melodies, and the modes when you want new colours.
Hear the scales in the songs you like
Upload a song or paste a YouTube link, and Tabtify writes the tab, so you can see which scale the guitarist uses and where on the neck.
Turn a song into tabGuitar scales FAQ
What is the easiest guitar scale to learn?
The minor pentatonic. It has five notes, two on each string in its first position, and no note in it clashes with the chords of a rock or blues song.
What is a scale position?
A position, or box, is the part of a scale your hand can reach without moving up or down the neck. Five pentatonic positions, or seven three-notes-per-string positions, join up to cover the whole fretboard.
Do scale shapes work in every key?
Yes. On guitar every shape can move: the same position two frets higher is the same scale two semitones higher. Only open-string versions change shape.
What is the difference between a scale and a mode?
A mode is a scale started from a different note of a parent scale. D Dorian has the same notes as C major, but D is the root, which changes how it sounds.
How long does it take to learn a scale?
One position can be under your fingers in a week of short daily practice. Learning all positions and using them in solos takes months, so learn one at a time and play music with it as you go.