A scale finder for guitar, piano and every common scale
This scale finder works both ways. Choose a key and a scale and it shows the notes, the step pattern, the intervals, the chords that belong to it and every place to play it — on a 15-fret guitar or ukulele fretboard and on a two-octave piano keyboard. Or switch to Find scales from notes, type the notes or chords you have (A C D E G or Am F C G) and get a ranked list of scales that contain all of them.
Thirty-two scales are built in: major and the three minors, the seven modes, major and minor pentatonic, minor and major blues, jazz scales such as altered, whole tone and both diminished scales, and the ten Hindustani thaats with sargam names. Each scale is spelled properly — one letter per degree — so F♯ major shows E♯ and G♭ major shows C♭.
How to use the Scale Finder
- Pick Key (root note) and Scale or mode. The notes, steps, intervals and sargam appear at once.
- Read the fretboard (choose a tuning or ukulele, tick Left-handed if needed) and the piano keyboard; the coloured dot is the root.
- Switch Labels between note names, intervals and sargam, and press Play scale to hear it up and down. Tap any dot or key for a single note.
- For a reverse search, choose Find scales from notes, type notes or chords, and tick My first note or chord is the root if you know the tonal centre.
- Press Show on any result to open it in the scale view.
Scale Finder features
Scale finder from notes
Every scale and all 12 roots are tested; scales that contain all your notes are ranked by how few extra notes they add and how common they are, with identical note sets merged.
Scale finder for guitar
The whole neck to the 15th fret in standard, drop D, DADGAD, open G, open D, open E or half-step-down tuning, plus ukulele and baritone ukulele, mirrored for left-handers.
Scale finder for piano
Two octaves from C3 with the scale’s keys lit and labelled, so the pattern of black and white keys is easy to memorise.
Correct spelling
Seven-note scales use each letter once; the tool also tells you when a key is usually written with the enharmonic name (A♯ major → B♭ major).
Chords and modes
Diatonic triads and seventh chords with Roman numerals for seven-note scales, the key signature, and the other modes that share the same notes.
Indian thaats and sargam
Bilawal, Kalyan, Khamaj, Bhairav, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi, Poorvi, Marwa and Todi, with komal and tivra swaras.
Scale formulas used by this scale finder
W is a whole step (two frets or keys), H a half step (one), W+H a step and a half. Intervals count from the root: ♭3 is a minor third, ♯4 an augmented fourth.
| Scale | Steps | Intervals |
|---|---|---|
| Major (Ionian) | W W H W W W H | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| Natural minor (Aeolian) | W H W W H W W | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 |
| Harmonic minor | W H W W H W+H H | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 |
| Melodic minor (ascending) | W H W W W W H | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7 |
| Dorian | W H W W W H W | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 |
| Mixolydian | W W H W W H W | 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 |
| Major pentatonic | W W W+H W W+H | 1 2 3 5 6 |
| Minor pentatonic | W+H W W W+H W | 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 |
| Blues | W+H W H H W+H W | 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 |
Indian thaats in Western notes
V. N. Bhatkhande grouped Hindustani ragas under ten parent scales (thaats). With Sa as the root, shuddha (natural) swaras match the major scale, komal swaras are flattened and tivra Ma is a sharp 4th. Six thaats coincide with Western modes: Bilawal = Ionian, Kalyan = Lydian, Khamaj = Mixolydian, Kafi = Dorian, Asavari = Aeolian, Bhairavi = Phrygian. Bhairav matches the double harmonic scale, and Poorvi, Marwa and Todi have no common Western name. Thaats are the note sets only; a raga adds its own movements, emphasis and ornaments, so treat the fretboard as a map rather than a performance guide.
Getting good answers from the reverse search
- Enter every note you hear in a melody or riff, not just a few — five or six notes narrow the list dramatically.
- Chords work too:
Am F C Gadds A C E F G, which fits A natural minor and C major equally. Tick the root box to say which one is home. - A passage that uses both B and B♭ may be borrowing from two scales. Try each section separately.
- To find the key of a recording rather than of a set of notes, use the audio key finder; then open the chords with the guitar chord chart or move the song with the chord transposer.
Scale Finder FAQ
How do I find a scale from notes?
Switch to Find scales from notes and type the notes, for example C D E F# G A B. The scale finder lists every scale that contains all of them — here G major and C Lydian come first — and marks the notes each scale adds.
How do I use the scale finder for guitar?
Choose the key and scale, then read the fretboard: every dot is a note of the scale, the coloured dots are roots. Pick your tuning, or ukulele, and tick Left-handed to mirror the neck.
Can I see scales on a piano?
Yes. The keyboard view lights the scale’s keys over two octaves from C3 and labels them with note names, intervals or sargam.
What is the difference between the natural, harmonic and melodic minor?
Natural minor has a ♭7; harmonic minor raises the 7th to create a strong leading note (and a step and a half between ♭6 and 7); melodic minor also raises the 6th, smoothing that gap.
Why does F♯ major contain E♯ instead of F?
A seven-note scale uses each letter name once. F♯ major already has F♯, so the seventh note is written E♯ — the same key on a piano as F.
Which scale fits the chords Am, F, C and G?
Their notes (A C E F G) all belong to C major and its relative, A natural minor. If the song feels at home on Am, it is in A minor; if on C, in C major.