Scale Charts
Major, minor, the modes, pentatonics and blues in all 12 keys, for guitar, piano, bass and ukulele, with each scale's formula and the chords that fit.
The scales
- Major: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Bright and settled: the sound most melodies come home to.
- Minor: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Darker and more serious than major.
- Dorian: 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7. Minor, with a brighter natural 6th.
- Phrygian: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Minor, with a dark ♭2 right above the root.
- Lydian: 1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7. Major, with a floating ♯4.
- Mixolydian: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7. Major, with a bluesy ♭7.
- Locrian: 1 ♭2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7. The unstable one: the ♭2 and ♭5 make its root chord diminished.
- Major Pentatonic: 1 2 3 5 6. The major scale without its 4th and 7th, so no note clashes with the chords.
- Minor Pentatonic: 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7. Five notes, and the first scale most guitarists solo with.
- Blues: 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7. Minor pentatonic plus one extra note between the 4th and 5th: the blue note.