Scale & Mode Explorer
Every major, minor, pentatonic, blues and modal scale in every key — seen, heard and built from memory.
What it trains
Scale & Mode Explorer shows any scale in any key on the fretboard, the keyboard and the staff at the same time, and plays it back. Fingering patterns cover the whole guitar neck. Drills then ask you to spell scales from memory, recognise them by ear, name scale degrees and play patterns on the fretboard.
- Spelling scales correctly in every key — F♯ major has an E♯, not an F
- Major, natural minor, harmonic minor, melodic minor, the seven modes, major and minor pentatonic, minor blues and major blues
- Fingering patterns across the guitar neck: three-notes-per-string, pentatonic boxes and five-fret positions
- Recognising scale types by ear
Exercises
- Build the scale
- Spell a scale from its first note to its last, one note at a time, with the right letters and accidentals.
- Scale by ear
- Hear a scale and name its type.
- Scale degrees
- Name the note on a given degree of a scale, such as the 6th degree of E♭ major.
- Fretboard patterns
- Tap every note of a scale inside a highlighted fretboard position.
Try it
A short interactive demo built from the same code as the real tool.
Settings you can change
- Which scale types are included
- Key difficulty: keys with up to 2, 4 or 7 sharps or flats
- Playback direction for ear training: up, down or both
- Tempo and tone (keyboard or guitar)
- Pattern system for fretboard drills, plus tuning and left-handed fretboard
- Labels as note names or scale degrees, letters or solfège
- Session length
Instruments and clefs
Guitar fretboard (up to 15 frets, six tunings, left-handed option), piano keyboard, and treble or bass staff.
Reference view
The explorer shows any scale in any key on fretboard, keyboard and staff, with playback and pattern selection.
Who it’s for
- Guitarists learning scale patterns across the neck and wanting to know the notes inside them
- Pianists and theory students who want scale spelling to be automatic in every key
- Improvisers who want to hear and see how modes differ
Who it isn’t for
- Players looking for technique exercises or speed-building routines
- Anyone wanting exotic or non-Western scale systems — the tool covers major, minor, modal, pentatonic and blues scales
What you need
- A modern web browser on a computer, tablet or phone
- Speakers or headphones
- The ability to hear audio — this tool includes ear training that depends on listening
About the sound: all instrument sounds are synthesized in your browser. They are not recordings of real instruments.
In every tool
- Instant feedback on every answer, with ✓ and ✗ marks and the correct answer shown.
- Settings that save themselves, plus named practice sets you can switch between.
- A session summary when you finish, with your accuracy and the items to review.
- A reference view for looking things up without being quizzed.
- Progress and streaks: accuracy over time and your weakest items, stored only on your device.
- Progress backup: move your progress to another device with a backup code or file.
- Works offline once unlocked, and installs to your home screen or desktop.
- Keyboard shortcuts, visible focus, a larger-interface setting, and dark mode.