Scale Finder

Explore any scale or mode

This scale finder shows everything you need to know about a scale in one place. Choose a root and one of sixteen scales — major, natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor, the modes Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian and Locrian, Phrygian dominant, major and minor pentatonic, minor and major blues, whole tone and the whole–half diminished scale. The tool lists the correctly spelled notes, the formula in scale degrees, the pattern of whole and half steps, and the name of every interval from the root.

The scale is then drawn on a two-octave piano keyboard and on a guitar fretboard in standard tuning from the open strings to the 12th fret, with the root highlighted in a different colour. That makes it easy to see the shape of the scale under your fingers whether you play keys or guitar, and to spot the repeating patterns that make scales easy to memorise. Press Play scale to hear it ascending and descending.

Formulas, steps and spelling

Every scale is defined by a formula relative to the major scale. The major scale is 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 with the step pattern W W H W W W H; natural minor lowers the 3rd, 6th and 7th; harmonic minor raises the 7th back up to create a leading tone, which produces the characteristic step of a tone and a half. From the formula the tool derives both the pitches and the spelling, giving each degree its own letter name so that, for example, F♯ major is written with an E♯ rather than an F.

Chords that belong to the scale

For seven-note scales the finder also builds the diatonic triads by stacking thirds on each degree and labels them with Roman numerals. These are the chords that sound "at home" in the key, and they are the building blocks of most progressions: I–IV–V–I in major, i–iv–v in minor, or the ii–V–I of jazz. Use them to write songs, to harmonise a melody or to choose which scale to solo over a progression.