Julian Reyes, MM, Berklee · Last reviewed June 25, 2026

Guitar Scales Chart

Pick any root and any scale — major, minor, all five pentatonic boxes, the blues scale, and every mode — and see exactly where the notes land across the whole fretboard in standard tuning. Toggle between note names and scale degrees, then print or embed the chart. No signup, no ads.

Show
Root Scale tone

A Minor Pentatonic

Standard tuning (E A D G B E) · frets 0–15

Notes in scale

A · C · D · E · G

E A D G B E 35791215 EGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEGACDEG
A 1 C ♭3 D 4 E 5 G ♭7

Julian's gear to practice this scale

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How to use this guitar scales chart

  1. Pick your root note. The twelve buttons cover every key from C through B. The root is what the scale is named after and where it resolves — choose A and you're looking at an A scale.
  2. Choose a scale. It opens on the A minor pentatonic — the first scale almost every lead player learns — but one tap switches you to major, natural minor, the blues scale, or any of the seven modes (Dorian, Mixolydian, Lydian and the rest).
  3. Read the fretboard. Every place that scale's notes appear from the open strings up to the 15th fret is marked. The filled indigo dots are the root; the outlined dots are the other scale tones. The diagram redraws instantly — there's no "show" button to press.
  4. Flip to scale degrees. Toggle Note names → Scale degrees to see the same shapes as 1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7 instead of letters. Learning the degrees is how the same shape transposes to every key.
  5. Save it. Copy the notes as text, share a link that reopens the exact root and scale, or download a clean printable PDF chart to tape to your practice-room wall.

Why this scales chart is different

Search "guitar scales chart" and you'll find a wall of static JPEGs — each one stuck in a single key, usually covering five or six scales, with no way to print clean copies or check a key the image doesn't include. Here's what this interactive chart does that a picture can't:

  • Every key, every scale, in one place. 12 roots × 12 scales = 144 fretboard diagrams behind two taps — pentatonics, blues, the major and minor scales, and all seven modes. A static chart shows one.
  • Names or degrees. Beginners read note names; improvisers think in scale degrees (1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7). One toggle shows both on the same shape, which is how you learn to move a lick to any key.
  • It spells scales correctly. F major shows B♭, not A♯; G♯ minor shows the proper sharps. The note names come from real music-theory spelling rules, not a quick "nearest letter" shortcut — and a fixture test runs on every build so the math can't drift.
  • Print and embed. Download a branded PDF chart of the exact scale, or drop the whole interactive tool into your own lesson site with the free embed snippet at the bottom — attribution included.

How it works (the theory behind the dots)

A scale is just a pattern of intervals — distances in semitones (one fret = one semitone) measured from the root. Spell the pattern from your root note and you have the scale; find every one of those notes on each string and you have the fretboard diagram. The two steps look like this: 

scale notes = root + interval pattern   (e.g. minor pentatonic = 0, 3, 5, 7, 10 semitones)
a note sits at (string, fret) when:
    (open-string pitch + fret) mod 12  ==  one of the scale's notes
standard tuning open pitches = E A D G B E  (strings 6 -> 1)

The minor pentatonic, for example, is the root plus the intervals 0, 3, 5, 7, 10. Start on A and you get A, C, D, E, G. The chart then walks every string from the nut to the 15th fret and lights up each spot whose note belongs to that set. The same engine handles a seven-note mode or a six-note blues scale — only the interval pattern changes. Note spelling (whether a black key reads as A♯ or B♭) follows the key's letter sequence, which is why F major correctly shows B♭ rather than A♯.

Three scales worth knowing first

A minor pentatonic — the lead-guitar starting line

Five notes (A C D E G), no wrong-sounding ones, and the famous "box" at the 5th fret. It's the backbone of rock, blues and pop soloing. Set the chart to A, leave it on minor pentatonic, and the filled dots at the 5th and 7th frets are the shape every guitarist learns first. Flip to degrees and you'll see 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 — memorize that and the same box moves to any key.

C major — the scale everything else is measured against

C D E F G A B, no sharps or flats. Switch the root to C and the scale to Major: the pattern of dots is the major scale, and every mode is just this same set of notes started from a different degree. It's the map the rest of theory is drawn on.

A blues scale — the pentatonic with a secret

Take A minor pentatonic and add one note — the ♭5 (E♭) — and you get the gritty, vocal sound of the blues scale: A C D E♭ E G. Select Blues on the chart and watch a single extra dot appear between the 4 and the 5 on each string. That one "blue note" is responsible for most of the attitude in blues and rock lead playing.

Frequently asked questions

What guitar scales should a beginner learn first?

Start with the minor pentatonic — five notes, one easy box shape, and it sounds good over almost anything in rock and blues. Then add the blues scale (the pentatonic plus one note) and the major scale, which is the foundation for understanding everything else. Once those feel natural, the modes are just the major scale started on different degrees. Learning a few beginner guitar chords alongside your scales lets you actually play songs while you practice.

How many guitar scales are there?

Practically unlimited, but you only need a handful. This chart covers the twelve that do real work: major, natural minor, major and minor pentatonic, the blues scale, the seven modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian), plus harmonic and melodic minor. Each can be played in any of the twelve keys, which is where the "144 charts" comes from — but they're all the same shapes shifted up or down the neck.

What is the difference between note names and scale degrees?

Note names (A, C, D…) tell you exactly which pitch to fret. Scale degrees (1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7) tell you each note's role relative to the root, independent of key. Thinking in degrees is what lets you take a lick you learned in A and instantly play it in any key — the shape and the degrees stay the same, only the root moves. Use the toggle to see both on the same diagram.

Are these scale shapes for standard tuning?

Yes — every diagram assumes standard tuning, E A D G B E, low string to high. If you play in drop D, half-step down, or an open tuning, the notes of the scale are identical but their fretboard positions shift, so the dots won't line up. Tune up first — a clip-on tuner makes it a two-second job — then the chart is accurate.

Can I print this guitar scales chart?

Yes. Tap Printable PDF and you'll get a clean, branded one-page chart of whatever root and scale you've selected — root notes filled, scale tones outlined, frets numbered — sized for letter paper. It's made for taping to a wall or slipping into a lesson binder, with no ads or clutter.

A scale only sticks when you can play it cleanly and in tune. Three things make practice actually productive — and the chart shows the right ones under your result based on the scale you picked:

  • A guitar that stays in tune. Pentatonic and blues runs live on the electric neck; the bright modes and the major scale ring out on an acoustic. If you're still choosing one, see our best beginner electric guitars — the right starter instrument makes scale practice far less frustrating.
  • A clip-on tuner. Every position on this chart assumes standard tuning. You can't hear a scale's intervals correctly on a guitar that's even slightly sharp or flat, so tune before every session.
  • Fresh strings. Dead strings sound dull and play stiff, which makes fast scale runs feel like work. A new set is the cheapest upgrade to your tone and your fingers.

Sources & methodology

  • Interval formulas follow standard music theory (Berklee curriculum), cross-checked against the musictheory.net scale reference.
  • Note spelling uses conventional key-signature letter rules, so each scale reads with correct enharmonics (F major → B♭, not A♯).
  • Fretboard positions are computed for standard tuning, E A D G B E, frets 0–15. The note math is locked by a fixture test that runs on every build.

Scale formulas are fixed music theory; some keys have valid enharmonic spellings (D♯/E♭). Other tunings shift the positions. Reviewed by Julian Reyes, MM (Berklee). About Julian · Last reviewed June 25, 2026.

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Free for guitar teachers, lesson sites, tab pages, and r/guitarlessons or r/Guitar posts. The required attribution is built into the snippet — no fee, no account, no analytics attached to the embed. 

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  Interactive guitar scales chart by
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  &middot; Reviewed by Julian Reyes, MM (Berklee)
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