Learn guitar with Guitar Upscale

Guitar Upscale is a guitar you can play in the browser. These pages explain the theory behind it: the scales on the fretboard, the chords they make and the habits that help you practise.

Every chart on these pages comes from the same data the app uses. A link on each scale page opens that scale on the playable fretboard, so you can hear what you read.

Guides

• How to learn guitar scales on the fretboard: Read a scale chart, learn one shape well, then link the shapes across the neck. A practice plan that works for any scale.
• The 5 minor pentatonic shapes: The five box shapes of the minor pentatonic scale in A, with charts, and how to join them into one map of the neck.
• The modes of the major scale, explained: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian: what makes each one sound different and when to use it.
• How to find the chords in a key: Build the seven chords of any major or minor key from its scale, then use them in the progressions behind most songs.
• How to tune a guitar: Tune to standard tuning with a tuner or by ear, and try drop D, DADGAD and open tunings.
• Strumming patterns for beginners: Count the beat, keep the hand moving and learn the strumming patterns behind most pop, rock and folk songs.
• Record a guitar idea and save it as MIDI: Play a riff on the virtual fretboard, record it, fix the timing in the piano roll and download a MIDI or Guitar Pro file.
• Open Guitar Pro and MIDI files in the browser: Play Guitar Pro and MIDI files on a virtual fretboard without installing anything, and find songs on Songsterr and MIDI sites.

Scales to start with

• Minor Pentatonic: The minor pentatonic is the five note scale behind most blues and rock solos, and the first scale most guitarists learn.
• Major Scale (Ionian): The major scale is the do re mi scale, the base for most Western music and for the names of every other scale.
• Natural Minor (Aeolian): The natural minor scale is the sound of most sad, dark and serious songs in rock, pop and classical music.
• Blues Scale: The blues scale is the minor pentatonic plus the flat fifth, the blue note behind blues and rock guitar.
• Major Pentatonic: The major pentatonic is a five note scale with a bright, open sound used in country, folk, pop and rock solos.
• Dorian Mode: Dorian is a minor mode with a major sixth, a brighter minor sound used in funk, rock, jazz and folk songs.
• Mixolydian Mode: Mixolydian is the major scale with a flat seventh, the sound of rock, blues, funk and Celtic tunes over dominant chords.
• Harmonic Minor: Harmonic minor raises the seventh note of natural minor, which gives a strong pull back to the root and an exotic, classical sound.

All 85 scales, from the major scale to Japanese, Gypsy and jazz scales.

Chords to start with

• Major Chord: A major chord is a root, a major third and a perfect fifth. It sounds bright, stable and happy.
• Minor Chord: A minor chord is a root, a minor third and a perfect fifth. It sounds darker and sadder than a major chord.
• Dominant 7th Chord (7): A dominant 7th chord adds the flat seventh to a major triad. It drives back to the home chord and is the base of the blues.
• Minor 7th Chord (m7): A minor 7th chord adds the flat seventh to a minor triad, a smooth minor sound used in funk, soul and jazz.
• Major 7th Chord (maj7): A major 7th chord adds the major seventh to a major triad, a soft, jazzy and dreamy sound.
• Power Chord (5): A power chord is a root and a fifth, with no third. It is the backbone of rock and metal rhythm guitar.
• Suspended 4th Chord (sus4): A sus4 chord swaps the third for the fourth, a tense sound that wants to fall back to the major chord.
• Add9 Chord: An add9 chord adds the ninth to a major triad without a seventh, a bright, ringing pop and rock chord.

All 45 chord types, each with charts in all 12 keys.

About the app

Guitar Upscale shows any scale on a full guitar neck and plays each note you tap. It strums the chords of the key, tunes your guitar through the microphone, records MIDI and opens Guitar Pro files. It runs in the browser on phones and computers, and is also packaged for Android. Read more about Guitar Upscale.