About this tool
The guitar fretboard shows where the notes of a scale or chord lie on the neck – for guitar in standard tuning, Drop D, DADGAD and half a step down, for 4- and 5-string bass and for ukulele. Choose 12 to 24 frets and optionally a capo; the root is highlighted in a dark colour, the other notes in a light one.
Notes are spelled correctly for the scale or chord (F major has Bb rather than A#) and can be labelled as note names or as intervals from the root (1, b3, 5 …) – handy for understanding patterns such as the pentatonic boxes. Click a dot to hear the note. All scales and chord types come from the Scale Generator and the Chord Finder; to tune up, use the Online Tuner.
How it works
- Choose whether to show a scale or a chord, and pick the instrument and tuning.
- Choose the root and the scale or chord type, the number of frets and the capo.
- Switch the labels between notes and intervals, click dots to listen and swipe sideways across the fretboard on a phone.
Frequently asked questions
How do I read the fretboard?
String 1, the highest (high E on a guitar), is at the top and the lowest string at the bottom – just like in tablature. The open strings are left of the nut, the numbers below are the frets. The inlay dots sit on frets 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 (double), 15, 17, 19, 21 and 24, as on most guitars.
What does the capo change?
A capo shortens all strings at once. The open strings then sound as many semitones higher as the capo is frets away from the nut – with the capo on fret 2 the low E string sounds as F#. Frets below the capo are not shown; fret numbers stay those of the neck.
What do the intervals 1, b3, 5 … mean?
They give the distance from the root: 1 is the root, 3 the major and b3 the minor third, 5 the fifth, b7 the minor seventh. With interval labels you can see that a pattern stays the same in every key and is only moved along the neck – the key idea of the guitar fretboard.
Why is a note labelled F# here and Gb there?
Every scale uses each letter exactly once, so the name depends on the key: in D major the note on fret 2 of the E string is F#, in Db major it is Gb. Open strings that are not part of the scale are named with flats in flat keys and with sharps otherwise.