What instruments, scales, and fretboard views does StringScales support?

Updated

StringScales is a browser-based fretboard tool for stringed instruments. It supports guitar, bass, banjo, ukulele, and other stringed instruments; covers major, minor, modes, harmonic and melodic minor, plus exotic scales; and lets you view the fretboard as three-notes-per-string or CAGED shapes, in single positions or across the whole neck, vertically or horizontally, and for left- or right-handed players. Changing the tuning or instrument redraws the shapes automatically. No account is needed to use it.

Instruments

The diagram follows your instrument rather than showing a generic chart. According to the site, supported instruments include:

  • Guitar
  • Bass
  • Banjo
  • Ukulele
  • Other stringed instruments

Because the fretboard is drawn per instrument, the same scale will appear in different shapes depending on which instrument you select.

Scales

StringScales covers a wide range of scale types:

  • Major and minor
  • The modes
  • Harmonic minor and melodic minor
  • Exotic scales that are rarely drawn out elsewhere

You pick a scale and a key, and it lights up on your fretboard. The site notes you can view pentatonic boxes, blues notes, a single position, or the whole neck.

Fretboard views

The tool gives you several ways to look at the neck:

Option What you get
Shape system Three-notes-per-string or CAGED
Scope One shape at a time or every position at once
Orientation Vertical or horizontal
Handedness Left- or right-handed
Tuning Change the tuning and the shapes redraw

The site describes this as "positions that fit your hand" — the point being that you can match the view to how you actually look at and play the neck.

Changing instrument or tuning

When you change the tuning or switch instruments, the fretboard shapes are redrawn automatically. You don't need to reconfigure the scale manually; the diagram adapts to the new setup.

What you need to use it

  • A browser — it works in your browser
  • No account required to open the fretboard and explore scales
  • A free account only adds saving, so you can keep progressions and pick them up on any device

If you want to see how these scales fit into practice, the same tool also lets you build chord progressions, tag each chord with a scale, and play along with a live backing band.