Scale finder
Choose a key and a scale to see its notes spelled correctly, the whole and half step pattern and, for seven-note scales, the triad built on each note. It covers the major and three minor scales, all seven church modes, both pentatonics, the blues scale and the whole tone scale.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Choose the key, the root note of the scale.
- Choose the scale or mode.
- Read the notes, the degrees relative to the major scale and the step pattern. Use the copy button next to the notes if you want to paste them into a note or chart.
How the notes are calculated
Every scale is a list of degrees measured against the major scale of the same root, for example natural minor is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Each degree gives a letter (the 3rd of a scale starting on E uses the letter G) and a number of semitones above the root, and the accidental is whatever makes the note fit.
Triads are built by stacking thirds on every note of a seven-note scale. Intervals of 4 and 3 semitones give a major triad, 3 and 4 minor, 3 and 3 diminished, 4 and 4 augmented.
Worked example
D major is D E F♯ G A B C♯ with the pattern W W H W W W H. The chords are D, Em, F♯m, G, A, Bm and C♯dim. A harmonic minor gives A B C D E F G♯, and because of the raised seventh the chord on C is augmented (C E G♯) and the one on G♯ is diminished.
Tips
- Pick the key from a song’s chords: if a song uses D, Em, F♯m, G, A and Bm, it is in D major.
- Minor pentatonic is the usual first scale for rock and blues guitar. It is the natural minor scale without the 2nd and ♭6th.
Frequently asked questions
What do W and H mean in the step pattern?
W is a whole step, two semitones, and H is a half step, one semitone. The major scale is W W H W W W H. Pentatonic and blues scales also contain a step of three semitones, written W+H.
Why does the tool write E♯ or B♯ in some keys?
Scales use each letter name once. F♯ major has a seventh degree one semitone below F♯, and it is called E♯ rather than F because F♯ is already using the letter F. Sound is the same, but the written note is correct for reading music.
What is the difference between the three minor scales?
Natural minor is 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7. Harmonic minor raises the seventh (1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7). Melodic minor, shown here in its ascending form, raises both the sixth and the seventh (1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7).
How are the modes related to the major scale?
Each mode is the major scale started on a different degree. Dorian starts on the second degree, Phrygian on the third, Lydian on the fourth, Mixolydian on the fifth and Locrian on the seventh. The tool shows each one as a pattern from the chosen root, so D Dorian has the same notes as C major.
Why are there no chords for pentatonic and blues scales?
Chords on each note are shown only for seven-note scales, where stacking every second note gives a triad on each degree. Scales with five or six notes do not have that regular structure.