Frequently asked questions
How to use ScaleBase, and the music theory behind what it shows.
About ScaleBase
What is ScaleBase?
ScaleBase is a free interactive fretboard for string players. Pick a key and it shows a scale, pentatonic, mode, arpeggio or chord across the whole neck, with the root notes marked, so you can see the pattern instead of working it out fret by fret.
Which instruments does ScaleBase support?
Six: guitar, mandolin, banjo, dobro, upright bass and fiddle. Switch between them from the menu at the top of the app.
Is ScaleBase free? Do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and there's no account or sign-up. Open the page and start playing.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. On a phone the controls sit under the fretboard, and turning the phone sideways gives you a longer neck on guitar, mandolin, banjo and dobro. You can also add ScaleBase to your home screen from your browser's share menu (Safari) or menu (Chrome) so it opens like an app.
Is there a dark mode?
Yes. Use the dark mode button in the header (the moon icon on a phone). ScaleBase remembers your choice, and until you pick one it follows your device's setting.
Using the fretboard
How do I choose a key and a scale?
The Key card has three rows: the twelve keys, Major or Minor, and the structure (Scale, Pentatonic, Modes, Arpeggios or Chords, depending on the instrument). The arrows either side of the title step through the keys around the circle of fifths.
What do the colors on the fretboard mean?
Solid terracotta dots are the root, the note the key is named after. White dots with a green ring are the other notes of the scale, mode or chord. The row under the board lists every note it's showing.
What do the Filter, Labels and Reset buttons do?
Filter cycles through All Notes, Triads Only (just the 1, 3 and 5) and Roots Only, so you can find the chord tones inside a scale. Labels switches the dots between note names and intervals (1, b3, 5 and so on); the fiddle adds finger numbers. Reset puts everything back to the major scale but keeps your key.
Can I hide some strings?
Yes. The Strings card has a button for each string. Tap one to mute it and its notes disappear, which helps when you're working on a scale across just two or three strings.
Scales, modes and arpeggios
What's the difference between a major scale and a pentatonic scale?
A major scale has seven notes (1 2 3 4 5 6 7). The major pentatonic drops the 4th and 7th, leaving five (1 2 3 5 6). Those two notes are the ones a half step from their neighbors, so the pentatonic has no notes that clash with the chords under it, which is why it's the go-to scale for soloing. Compare C major scale with A minor pentatonic on guitar.
What is the relative minor?
Every major key shares its notes with a minor key three half steps lower, its relative minor. C major and A minor use the same seven notes; they just treat a different note as home. That's why the C major and A natural minor patterns look identical apart from where the roots sit.
What are the seven modes?
The modes are the major scale started from each of its seven notes: Ionian (the major scale itself), Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian (the natural minor) and Locrian. Each has its own sound: Dorian is a minor with a brighter 6th, popular in jazz, funk and Celtic tunes; Mixolydian is a major with a flat 7th, the sound of a lot of blues, rock and bluegrass. Choose Modes in the Key card to try them, or start with D Dorian on guitar or G Mixolydian on mandolin.
What is an arpeggio?
An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time. A G major arpeggio is just G, B and D, the notes of a G chord, laid out across the neck. Guitar, mandolin and fiddle also have extended arpeggios such as Maj7, Min7 and dominant 7.
What are triads and intervals?
An interval is the distance from the root: 1 is the root, 3 is a major third, b3 a minor third, 5 a perfect fifth, and so on. A triad is the 1, 3 and 5 together, the three notes that make a basic major or minor chord. Turn on Labels → Intervals to see each note's interval, and Filter → Triads Only to see only the triad.
What are the CAGED shapes on guitar?
CAGED splits the guitar neck into five overlapping positions named after the open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Learn the scale in each shape and you can play it anywhere on the neck. On the guitar page, the Shape row under Scale, Pentatonic and Modes shows one shape at a time, or all of them.
Why are some keys spelled with sharps and others with flats?
Each scale uses every letter name once, so the spelling follows the key: G major has an F#, while F major has a Bb rather than an A#. ScaleBase follows the same rule, so the notes on the board match how the key is written.
Instruments and tunings
What tuning does ScaleBase use for each instrument?
Guitar is standard E A D G B E. Mandolin and fiddle are G D A E. Banjo is five-string Open G (g D G B D). Dobro is Open G (G B D G B D, low to high). Upright bass is E A D G.
What are the banjo chord shapes?
Choose Chords on the banjo page to get the three movable shapes bluegrass players use up the neck: the F shape, the D shape and the barre shape. Together they cover each chord in three places.
What do Position, Tapes and Half Steps mean on the fiddle?
Position is where your hand sits on the fingerboard: 1st, 2nd and 3rd position, or the full neck. Tapes draws the finger tapes beginners stick on the fingerboard, and Half Steps links notes a half step apart, where two fingers touch. The fiddle page also has Double Stops: two notes played at once in 3rds, 4ths, 5ths or 6ths.
What is Root & 5th on upright bass?
Root and fifth is the foundation of bluegrass and country bass: you play the chord's root on beat one and its fifth on beat three. On the upright bass page, choose Root & 5th to see those notes, then turn on Chord changes to see the pattern for each of the key's seven chords. Start with G root and fifth.
Writing it down: TabBase
What is TabBase?
TabBase is ScaleBase's sister app for writing guitar tab. It's built for getting an idea down fast: type a riff on your phone in seconds, then tidy it up at a computer. It has the same look as ScaleBase, so it should feel familiar.
What can I do in TabBase?
Write tab one bar at a time on a fret keypad, with rhythm in 8ths, triplets or 16ths. Add slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, vibrato and palm mutes; chord names over the beat; and repeats with 1st and 2nd endings. You can print a tab or save it as a PDF, and share one with a link. Tabs save in your browser, and signing in syncs them across your devices.