Major Scales
Bright and resolved. The foundation of Western harmony.
Minor Scales
Dark and expressive. Natural, harmonic, and melodic variants.
Pentatonic Scales
Five-note scales. Essential vocabulary for rock, funk, and blues.
Blues Scales
Six-note scales built from the pentatonic with an added blue note (♭5).
Modes of the Major Scale
Seven distinct modal flavours derived by shifting the root of the major scale through each degree.
Modes of the Harmonic Minor
Seven modes with an exotic raised 7th character.
Modes of the Melodic Minor
Jazz-flavoured modes with raised 6th and 7th. Also called the jazz minor.
Special Scales
Symmetric, exotic, and jazz-specific scales — less common but essential vocabulary for fusion, jazz, and world-influenced playing.
Symmetric Scales
Built from repeating interval patterns. Divide the octave evenly.
Bebop Scales
Eight-note scales with a chromatic passing tone added to align chord tones with strong beats when descending.
World / Exotic
Non-Western scales with distinctive intervallic character.
Root note
Scale note
Blue note / characteristic tone
Strings: G (top) · D · A · E (bottom) · All shapes are moveable