stringscales.com

What is StringScales?

StringScales is a free browser-based practice tool for string players. It combines an interactive fretboard diagram with a chord-progression builder and a generated backing band, so you can see a scale light up on the neck while you play along to real chord changes.

What you actually do with it

The workflow is three steps: drop in the chords you want to practice, tag each chord with a scale (Dorian on one, altered on another, harmonic minor on the turnaround), then press play. The band plays in whatever key, tempo and style you choose, and the fretboard highlights the correct notes for each chord as it goes.

Who it suits

• Guitarists and bassists working on improvisation over changes, who want to hear a scale against harmony rather than a static drone.
• Players on banjo or ukulele who need diagrams that follow their instrument and tuning instead of a generic guitar chart.
• Teachers and students who want to demonstrate why a particular scale fits a particular chord.
• Left-handed and alternate-tuning players, since the diagram orientation and shapes redraw to match.

The trade-offs

The distinguishing feature is the pairing of scale visualization with a live-sounding band. A static scale chart tells you which notes exist; hearing those notes land against a bossa or blues-shuffle backing tells you which ones to actually choose.

If you are unsure whether it fits your practice, open the fretboard first, pick one scale you already know, and play it over a preset progression in a style you normally avoid. That single test will show you quickly whether the visual-plus-audio combination helps you more than a paper diagram.

How do I use StringScales to practice a chord progression with a scale?

Build the progression chord by chord, tag each chord with the scale you want to hear over it, then press play and follow the lit notes on the fretboard. That is the core loop on StringScales, and it works without an account.

The basic workflow

1. Open the fretboard or the progression builder.
2. Drop in the chords you want to practice, in order.
3. Tag each chord with a scale — for example, Dorian over one chord, altered over another, harmonic minor on a turnaround.
4. Press play. The backing band plays in your chosen key, tempo and style while the fretboard lights the correct notes for each chord as it arrives.

If you would rather not start from a blank timeline, load a preset progression, either from the popular classics or browsed by scale, so the changes already suit the scale you are working on.

Set up the instrument and shapes first

Before you practice, choose your instrument and tuning, because the diagram redraws to match rather than showing a generic chart. Guitar, bass, banjo and ukulele are all supported. Then pick how you want to see the shapes:

• Three notes per string for scale runs that move across the neck.
• CAGED if you think in chord shapes and want the scale wrapped around them.
• One position at a time to drill a single box, or every position at once to see the whole neck.
• Vertical or horizontal, and left- or right-handed, depending on how you actually look at the neck.

A concrete practice session

Say you want to work on Dorian. Load a Dorian-matched preset, set a slow tempo, and start with one position. Play along with the lit notes for a few choruses. Then switch to every position at once and try connecting them as the chords change. Finally, raise the tempo or change the style — a blues shuffle and a bossa will pull different phrasing out of the same notes.

Trade-offs worth knowing

The scale tagging is the feature that separates this from a plain backing-track player: you are not just hearing chords, you are seeing which notes fit each one. That is excellent for learning to target chord tones and for hearing how one scale sounds against different changes. The limitation is that a lit fretboard can become a crutch — it tells you where the safe notes are, but not why they work or how to phrase them. Use it to check yourself, then try a chorus with the notes hidden and see what you retained.

Because everything is free and no account is required, you can test the whole workflow before deciding whether saving progressions across devices is worth creating an account for.

Can I use StringScales for bass, banjo, or ukulele, and how does it adapt to different instruments?

Yes. StringScales is built around stringed instruments rather than guitar alone: the page names guitar, bass, banjo and ukulele, and says the diagram follows your instrument instead of showing a generic chart. You pick the instrument and tuning, and the scale shapes are redrawn for that setup — so a bass player sees bass positions, not guitar positions transposed.

What adapts when you switch instruments

• Fretboard layout and string count. The diagram is regenerated for the instrument you choose, so the shapes match the neck you are actually holding.
• Tuning. Change the tuning and the shapes redraw. This matters most on banjo and ukulele, where standard tunings differ from guitar and from each other, and on bass, where four-, five- and six-string layouts change where a shape sits.
• Position systems. Three-notes-per-string and CAGED layouts are both offered, one shape at a time or every position at once.
• Orientation. Vertical or horizontal display, left- or right-handed, so the view matches how you look at your own neck.
• Key and scale choice. Major, minor, modes, harmonic and melodic minor, plus exotic scales, all available per instrument.

Practical differences to expect

The backing-band side works the same way regardless of instrument: you build a chord progression, tag each chord with a scale, and play along while the fretboard lights up the notes for each chord. Presets can be browsed by scale, so a progression matched to something like Hungarian minor is available as a starting point. Styles, tempo, per-instrument mixing and concert pitch are adjustable in the playback controls.

A sensible first test

If you play bass or ukulele, open the fretboard, set your instrument and tuning first, then pick one scale you already know on guitar. Compare where the root notes land against your own neck. That single check tells you quickly whether the redrawn shapes match your instrument's reality.

If you want to keep progressions across devices, a free account adds saving; the page states the tool itself is free without an account, with no chord, loop or feature limits and no ads.

Is StringScales really free, and what do I get if I create an account?

Yes. StringScales describes its full toolset as free, not a trial or a limited tier: all scales and keys, every standard fretboard and tuning, the progression builder, scale annotations, and the live backing band with all styles and tempos. The site states there are no chord or loop limits, no locked features, and no ads.

An account is optional and only adds saving. Without one, you can open the fretboard and use the tools in your browser; with one, you can keep your progressions and pick them up on any device.

What you get free vs. with an account

A practical way to decide

If you are practicing at home and happy to rebuild a progression each session, skip the account. If you are working on the same ii–V–I or a specific set of changes over several weeks, create one so you can return to it on your phone or another computer.

One thing worth checking yourself: the site links to a pricing page, so if cost matters to you, confirm there what "free" covers and whether anything is planned to change. The free claim above comes from the site's own description.

A useful first step is to open the fretboard, pick one scale you already know, and see whether the lit notes match the shapes you play. That tells you quickly whether the diagrams fit how you actually look at the neck before you invest time in saving anything.

How does the live backing band work, and can I change its style, tempo, and instrument mix?

The live backing band is a playback engine, not a recording: you build a chord progression, tag each chord with a scale, and press play. StringScales then generates the accompaniment live in whatever key and tempo you choose, while the fretboard lights up the notes that belong to each chord's scale so you can follow along. It runs in the browser, and the core features — the progression builder, the band, every scale and style — are free without an account.

What you can control

• Style: presets range from a blues shuffle to bossa, so the same changes can feel like different idioms.
• Tempo: set it yourself rather than being locked to a demo speed.
• Instrument mix: per-instrument level controls let you pull the band back or push a part forward.
• Concert pitch: adjust the reference pitch if you play an instrument that isn't at standard pitch.
• Key and progression: as many chords, loops and progressions as you want, with a scale tag on each chord.

A practical way to use it

Suppose you're working on a ii–V–I in a jazz context. Tag the ii chord as dorian, the V as altered, and the I as major, set a medium tempo and a swing feel, then lower the comping instrument in the mix so you can hear your own lines. Play the lit positions in one shape first, then switch to all positions at once. If you're on bass, drop the bass instrument in the mix and let the band cover the rest.

Preset progressions are the faster entry point: load one matched to your scale — the site mentions a Hungarian minor preset with changes that suit it — then edit chords and tags from there instead of starting on a blank timeline.

Trade-offs to weigh

A generated band follows your settings exactly, which is ideal for repetition and slow practice but less useful if you want human phrasing, mistakes and interaction. It also can't hear you; the fretboard tells you where the notes are, not whether your timing was good. Treat it as a metronome with harmony and a visual guide, and record yourself separately if timing is what you're testing.

Deciding whether it fits

Choose it if your goal is mapping scales onto real chord changes across guitar, bass, banjo or ukulele, and you want fretboard shapes redrawn for your instrument, tuning and handedness rather than a generic chart. Look elsewhere if you need notation, structured lessons or a graded course. Saving progressions across devices is the one thing a free account adds; everything else works without signing in. Start with a preset in the style closest to your genre, then change one variable at a time — tempo first, then mix, then style — so you can hear what each control actually does.

What scale types and fretboard positions does StringScales support, including exotic scales?

StringScales draws scales directly onto a fretboard diagram rather than presenting them as text or TAB, and it covers a wide range of scale families across several stringed instruments. Its scale library runs from everyday shapes to the ones most tools leave out.

Scale types covered

• Major and minor — the standard reference shapes, including pentatonic boxes and blues notes.
• The modes of the major scale — dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian and locrian are named explicitly in the workflow, since you can tag any chord in a progression with a specific mode.
• Harmonic and melodic minor — useful for players working on classical, neoclassical or jazz vocabulary.
• Exotic scales — the site states these are included and drawn out, even though they are rarely visualized elsewhere. Hungarian minor is the one concrete example given, and it is used to illustrate how preset progressions can be matched to a scale.

Fretboard positions and layouts

• CAGED system — the familiar five-shape approach for guitar.
• Three-notes-per-string — the alternate picking and legato pattern many players use for speed work.
• Single position or whole neck — you can view one shape at a time or light up every position at once.
• Vertical or horizontal — the diagram orientation follows how you actually read the neck.
• Left- or right-handed — handedness is a display setting, not a separate tool.
• Tuning and instrument changes redraw the shapes — the diagram adapts rather than showing a generic chart.

Instruments

Guitar, bass, banjo and ukulele are all supported, so the same scale can be viewed on different instruments with the shapes recalculated for that fretboard.

Practical takeaway

If you are learning a mode like dorian and want to see it in one position before expanding across the neck, you can do that here without switching tools. If you are chasing something like Hungarian minor, this is one of the few free fretboard visualizers that draws it. The trade-off is that the site is built around visualization and play-along rather than deep theory explanation, so pair it with a teacher or a theory text if you want the "why" behind the shapes.

A useful next step: open the fretboard, pick the exotic scale you have been curious about, and toggle between one position and the full neck to see how the shape repeats.