A field guide to the fretboard
Every scale, mode, and chord on the guitar.Worked out from music theory, explained at your level.
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G major, E shape
Try the shapes and the stepper below. This is the whole site in one diagram.
G major, E shape
E shape of G major · frets 2 to 5
Swipe sideways to see the whole neck. Turning your phone to landscape shows more at once.
Scales and modes, spelled right
Every note is spelled the way the key calls for it, so F# major has an E#, not an F.
Compare a mode with its major or minor scale and the notes that differ get a ring.
D Dorian vs D major: F and C (b3, b7) instead of F# and C# (3, 7).
Five shapes, one neck
A minor pentatonic is one set of notes that repeats up the neck in five boxes.
Pick a box and see its notes, with a fingering suggestion.
Type a chord, see it
Type any chord symbol, from C to C7b5 to G/B, and get a voicing with the notes named.
Each chord page shows the finger positions and what the chord is made of.
Three levels, same notes
The facts are the same at every level. The explanation changes: the same D dorian summary, written three ways.
Beginner
And here we find D Dorian: a minor scale with a surprising spring in its step, brighter and more open than its plain minor cousin.
Intermediate
D Dorian is the second mode of C major: same notes, but D as home. Think of natural minor with a raised 6th, a small change with a striking effect.
Advanced
D Dorian: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. The natural 6 over a minor tonic is its signature, and the standard choice for ii7 in a major key and for static m7 vamps.
How it works
The facts are computed. Every note, interval, chord, position, and fingering is worked out from music theory, so it can't be wrong in one key and right in another.
The guidance is written by hand and reviewed by a guitarist.
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