chords.me
Free guitar scale tool
Choose a scale, build a guitar scale chart, or click notes directly on the fretboard to find matching scales.
Simple and practical
Built for guitar players who want quick answers: scale notes, fretboard patterns, related chords and practice ideas. No login, no app, no microphone.
Root notes are brighter. Other dots are scale notes.
Use these chords with the selected scale.
Play the root first, go up the scale slowly, then come back down. Clean notes matter more than speed.
Paste a simple chord loop and try a suggested scale.
Formula
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Guitar fit
Very easy
Many open strings fit. Good for open-position practice.
Tip
Scale numbers show distance from the root and help you move the same shape to another key.
01
Pick a root and scale type, or click notes on the fretboard to identify a scale.
02
Root notes are highlighted, and the fretboard scale chart shows where the scale sits on guitar.
03
Copy the notes, try the related chords, and make a short melody or solo phrase.
Use Choose scale when you already know what scale you want to learn. Use Click notes when you have a few fretboard notes or a lick and want to know what scale might fit.
If you are new, keep Beginner Mode on. It focuses on major, natural minor, major pentatonic, minor pentatonic and blues scales — the scale families most guitarists use first.
The fretboard view works like an interactive guitar scale chart. Each row is a string, each column is a fret, and each dot shows a note that belongs to the selected scale. Root notes are highlighted so you can find the home note quickly.
Use the note-name view when you want to learn the actual scale notes. Switch to scale numbers when you want to see the pattern as intervals such as 1, b3, 4 and 5. That makes the same guitar scale pattern easier to move into another key.
For beginners, the minor pentatonic scale is usually the fastest win because it is short, moveable and useful for rock, blues and metal. The major scale is better for understanding chords in key. The blues scale adds one extra color note to the minor pentatonic sound.
| Scale | Best for |
|---|---|
| Major | Happy, bright songs and chord progressions in major keys |
| Natural Minor | Darker songs, minor-key melodies and emotional progressions |
| Minor Pentatonic | Best first lead-guitar scale for rock, blues and metal |
| Major Pentatonic | Simple bright lead lines, country fills and acoustic solos |
| Blues | Minor pentatonic plus the blue note for blues-rock phrases |
| Dorian | Minor grooves, funk and modal rock |
| Mixolydian | Dominant 7 chords, blues-rock, country and jam tracks |
Type a short chord loop like G D Em C. The tool suggests scales that contain those chord roots, which gives you a practical starting point for soloing or writing a melody.
This is not meant to replace your ear. It is a fast helper for common progressions, especially when you want to connect chords, scale notes and guitar fretboard patterns in one place.
Generate a loop, then use the scale finder to choose notes for a melody or solo.
Look up playable guitar chord diagrams after finding the chords that fit a scale.
Move a song to another key and compare the new scale notes.
Find easier chord shapes when the scale or key is awkward on guitar.
Start with the minor pentatonic scale. Then learn the major scale so you understand chords in a key. After that, add the blues scale for expressive lead guitar phrases. The scale finder keeps those beginner-friendly options visible when Beginner Mode is on.
A guitar scale finder shows which notes belong to a scale and where those notes sit on the guitar fretboard. You can choose a root note and scale type, or click notes on the fretboard to find matching scales.
Yes. After you choose a key and scale type, the tool becomes an interactive guitar scale chart with notes, fretboard positions, root-note highlights and scale-degree display options.
Most beginners should start with the minor pentatonic scale. It is short, moveable, and sounds good in rock, blues, pop, metal and funk.
A simple method is to enter or identify the chord roots and look for a scale that contains most of those notes. For example, G, D, Em and C strongly suggest G major or E minor.
Notes show the actual pitch names, such as C, D and E. Scale numbers show each note's role from the root, such as 1, 2, b3 or 5, which makes patterns easier to move to another key.
No. This tool does not use microphone access. It works from selected notes, scale choices and chord input.