Natural notes
A B C D E F G. Between every pair there is a sharp/flat except B–C and E–F, which sit one fret apart.
REFERENCE / SCALES & HARMONY
The scale is the map.
Lead is the route.
Learn where the notes live, see any scale across the whole neck, find the chords a scale makes, then use it to build real lead lines, one step at a time.
01 / THE FRETBOARD
Every fret is one semitone.
Open strings from low to high: E A D G B E. Each fret raises the pitch by a half step; 12 frets later the notes repeat an octave higher.
Markers
Dots at frets 3 5 7 9 and a double dot at 12. On the low E string they are G, A, B, C# — learn those four and you can find the rest.
Octave shapes
Same note, higher: two strings up, two frets up (from string 6 or 5), or three frets up when you cross the B string.
NOTE-FINDER QUIZ
Press start
Find the note on the string named. Tap the fret on the neck below.
0 / 0
02 / SCALES
Light up any scale.
A scale is a set of notes chosen from the 12. Pick a key and a scale, then learn it one position (a hand-sized box) at a time.
Root Scale note Same scale, outside this position
03 / HARMONY
Chords grow out of scales.
Start on any scale note and stack every other note (1–3–5, then 7). Each degree gives one chord. Click a chord to see its shapes.
Which scale over which chord?
| Chord / situation | Safe choice | More colour | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major chord or major key (C, G…) | Major pentatonic | Major scale (Ionian), Lydian | Contains the 1, 3 and 5 with no clashing 4th. |
| Minor chord or minor key (Am, Em…) | Minor pentatonic | Natural minor (Aeolian), Dorian | Contains 1, b3, 5; Dorian's natural 6 sounds brighter. |
| Dominant 7 / blues (A7, E7…) | Minor pentatonic + blues note | Mixolydian, mixing major and minor pentatonic | The b3 against the chord's 3 is the classic blues rub. |
| V7 going to a minor chord (E7 → Am) | Harmonic minor | Phrygian dominant | Its raised 7th (G#) is the 3rd of E7 and pulls up to A. |
| m7b5 (Bm7b5) | Locrian | Locrian natural 2 | Matches the chord's b5. |
| A whole-song solo in one key | The key's pentatonic | The key's full major/minor scale | Every diatonic chord shares most of its notes. |
04 / PROGRESSIONS OVER A SCALE
One scale, many chords.
A progression is a path through the chords of a key. Because those chords are built from the key's scale, one scale fits the whole progression. Over each chord, though, some of its notes are safe landing spots and some are not. Here's how to tell.
1 · Chords come from the scale
Stack thirds on each note of the key's scale and you get its seven chords (see Harmony). A progression just picks some of them, in an order.
2 · Each chord has a job
Tonic = home, at rest. Subdominant = moving away. Dominant = tension that wants home. Most progressions cycle T → S → D → T.
3 · Same scale, new centre
The scale doesn't change, but each chord makes different notes feel stable. Over Dm in C major the C major scale sounds like D Dorian. The chord tones are always the safest notes.
Key root Scale note Chord tone of the selected bar (land here) Chord tone the scale doesn't have Scale outside this position
Demo solo · targets on beat 1, scale steps between
- 1
Start with one scale for the whole progression
If every chord is from the key, the key's scale (or its pentatonic) works over all of it. That's your safety net.
- 2
Then follow the chords inside the scale
Aim for the current chord's tones on strong beats. Same scale, but the melody now describes each chord. It sounds like you're playing the changes, not just the key.
- 3
Treat "avoid" notes as passing notes
A scale note a half step above a chord tone (like F over C major) clashes if held. Use it on the way to a chord tone, not to rest on.
- 4
When a chord leaves the key, adjust one note
Borrowed or altered chords (E7 in A minor, Bb in C major) contain a note the scale lacks. Change just that note while the chord lasts, e.g. G → G# over E7: harmonic minor.
05 / MAKE A LEAD
From scale to solo in six steps.
A scale is only a list of notes. A lead line is choosing which notes, when, and how you play them. Here is a method you can use today.
Root Scale note Chord tone of the chord now playing: land here Blue note (passing only)
- 1
Pick one box and stay there
Use position 1 of the minor pentatonic (highlighted above). Five notes, two per string, no wrong notes against the jam track. Play it up and down with alternate picking until it feels automatic.
- 2
Aim for chord tones
Start the jam track. The ringed notes change with each chord: those are the chord's own notes. End phrases and hit beat 1 on a ringed note; use the other scale notes to travel between them. This is the single biggest step from "running scales" to "playing changes".
- 3
Make a short motif
Choose 3–4 notes and a simple rhythm. Play it, then repeat it, shift it to start on a different scale note, or change only the rhythm. Listeners remember repetition; random notes sound like an exercise.
- 4
Ask and answer
Play a phrase that ends on a non-root note (a question, e.g. the 5th or b7), rest, then a phrase that ends on the root (the answer). Leave as much space as you play; silence is part of the line.
- 5
Add expression
Bend the 4th up to the 5th, or the b7 up to the root. Slide into a note from a fret below. Hammer-on / pull-off between the two notes on a string. Add vibrato to long notes. The same notes sound far more vocal.
- 6
Grow the map
Connect position 1 to position 2 by sliding up a string. Add the blue note (b5) as a passing tone. Then swap to the full natural minor or Dorian to get the missing 2nd and 6th.
Licks that use these steps · click ▶ to hear, watch the neck
A 15-minute lead routine
- 3 min · Play the box up and down with a metronome, saying the note names.
- 3 min · With the jam track, play only chord tones, one per beat.
- 4 min · Learn one lick above, then change its rhythm or ending note.
- 5 min · Improvise with the jam track: two bars playing, two bars resting.
06 / MAKE A SONG
Chords + arpeggios + lead = a song.
Five practical lessons that build one complete piece. Every part uses the same four chords, played three different ways. Choose a key and a progression; everything below updates, and every part can be played.
LESSON 1 · CHORDS
Choose four chords from one key
Try this
- Hold each chord and pick every string once. Fix buzzing notes before moving on.
- Change chords on beat 1 while counting "1 2 3 4" out loud. Slow is fine; stopping is not.
- Find the common notes between neighbouring chords (shown in each card). Fingers that can stay put, should.
LESSON 2 · RHYTHM PART
Strum a pattern that drives the song
Count eighth notes: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. Your hand moves down on the numbers and up on the "&" all the time, even when it misses the strings. That constant motion is what keeps the rhythm steady. The pattern below hits the strings on D · D U · U D U.
Try this
- Mute the strings with your fretting hand and play the pattern only: rhythm first, chords later.
- Accent beat 2 and 4 slightly (the backbeat): it instantly sounds more like a band.
- For a quieter verse, strum only beats 1 and 3; save the full pattern for the chorus.
LESSON 3 · ARPEGGIOS
Pick the same chords one note at a time
An arpeggio is a chord played note by note. Hold the full chord shape, pick the bass note (the chord's root) on beat 1, then walk up and down the top strings: bass – G – B – e – B – G – B – G. Let every note ring. This is the classic intro and verse sound.
Try this
- Keep your picking hand anchored lightly on the bridge; only the pick moves.
- Fingerstyle version: thumb plays the bass string, index–middle–ring play G–B–e.
- Arpeggios show you where the chord tones are, and these are exactly the notes the lead will aim for in Lesson 4.
LESSON 4 · LEAD MELODY
Write a lead line from chord tones
The rule: on beat 1 of each bar, play a note that belongs to that bar's chord. Between those targets, step through neighbouring scale notes to reach the next target. That's how the melody below was built. It stays in one box of the scale and sounds "right" because it follows the chords.
Key's root Scale note in this box Target notes used on beat 1
Try this
- Play only the four target notes, one per bar, over the strum part. You already have a melody.
- Change the rhythm of the in-between notes, but keep the targets on beat 1.
- Swap a target for another note of the same chord (the ringed dots) and hear how the mood changes.
- Sing the line first, then find it: a singable melody is a good melody.
LESSON 5 · ARRANGEMENT
Put the parts together into a song
A song is these same four bars, dressed differently in each section. Contrast keeps it interesting: quiet → full → featured → quiet.
Write your own
- Change one thing at a time: keep the chords, write a new lead from different targets; or keep the lead and try another progression.
- Add a chorus: use a different progression from the same key (e.g. start on the IV chord) and strum harder.
- Lyrics: sing the lead melody with words; repeat the strongest line at the end of each chorus.
- Record it: phone-record the rhythm part, then play the arpeggio and lead over your own recording.