Tools
Scale Explorer
Pick a root and a scale or mode, and the scale explorer maps every note across the whole neck of a guitar, bass or ukulele. Switch between note names and scale degrees, set a custom or alternate tuning, limit the fret range and listen to the scale. It works in the browser on desktop and phone.
How to use it
- Choose the instrument: guitar, bass or ukulele.
- Select the tuning (standard, drop D, DADGAD, custom...).
- Select the root and the scale, mode or arpeggio.
- Switch labels between note names and degrees.
- Narrow the fret range to focus on one position, then play it.
Why see scales on the whole neck
Box shapes are a good start, but they hide the bigger picture. When you see a scale across all strings and frets, you notice that the same notes repeat every 12 frets and that the familiar boxes simply link into each other. That is the key to soloing freely instead of being stuck in one position.
The explorer covers the common scales and many exotic ones: major and the three minor scales, all seven modes, major and minor pentatonic, blues, whole tone, diminished, harmonic-minor modes such as phrygian dominant, the altered scale and bebop dominant.
Practice ideas
- Root first: switch to degrees and find every 1 on the neck before playing anything else. Roots are your landmarks.
- One position at a time: set a 4–5 fret range and play the scale up and down slowly with a metronome.
- Arpeggios inside scales: compare the scale with the matching arpeggio. The chord tones are the strongest notes to land on in a solo.
- Modes by sound: keep the same root and switch between D dorian, mixolydian and lydian to hear what each mode's characteristic note does.
- Alternate tunings: in drop D or open tunings, the explorer redraws every pattern so you don't have to work them out.
Keep going
Read the lessons on the major scale, minor scales, modes and pentatonic and blues scales. On guitar, combine this with the CAGED system and the major scale positions exercise; on bass, try major scale for bass. For scale formulas at a glance print the scale formulas chart, and browse all scales.