5-String Bass Fretboard Chart
5-string bass, tuning B–B–E–A–D–G · scales & notes across the whole neck · tap to hear
How to play
- 19 patterns are on offer: the seven modes (Major/Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Minor/Aeolian, Locrian), harmonic and melodic minor, the pentatonics and blues scale, six arpeggios, and the full chromatic run.
- The seven modes all use the same seven notes as some major scale — they just start in a different place. Dorian is a major scale played from its 2nd note, Mixolydian from its 5th, and so on. Change the root and watch which notes light up.
- Pick a root and a pattern (scale or arpeggio). Every note of that pattern lights up across the whole neck, each labelled by its interval (1 = root, 3, 5, ♭7…), with the root in purple.
- Tap any lit note to hear it. Play pattern runs the notes up from the root so you hear the shape. The dots under the fret numbers are the neck markers (3, 5, 7, 9, 12).
- Bass patterns are movable: the same shape works for any root — just slide it. An octave is always 2 frets up and 2 strings across.
- Strings read top-to-bottom G D A E (thick low E at the bottom), like bass tab. Vol sets volume. Keyboard: Tab + Enter/Space.
In this case we have an interactive chart that covers entire neck of a five string bass tuned to standard B E A D G. Clicking on any note with your mouse will reveal scales and arpeggios to play, and moving around the interface can be done using your computer keyboard too. It show all occurrences of the selected pattern from lowest to highest note at each of the fifteen frets. This makes it easy to see how things work at a glance, including intervals and fingerings.
To start off you need to pick which note (the ‘root’ note) you want to use as starting point of the scale. This is selected using the first row of buttons at the top of the chart. From here you can select from twelve available pitch classes… Ranging from C to B. Note that the fretboard will highlight current root note in purple making it easier to get your bearings around the scale.
How to Use the Interactive Bass Chart
Selecting a pattern from the row underneath the root selection allow you to play seven modes. You can also play harmonic and melodic minor scales, pentatonics, the blues scale, six common arpeggios, and a complete chromatic run. Each pattern lights up in its corresponding notes across the board. You’ll see a label for each note, such as 1, 3 and 5, showing the function of that note relative to root.
The app will play a short audio tone for each note that is tapped on the fretboard. It also lights up selected note briefly so it’s confirmed as being entered. That means you can ear train by associating visual location of the note on the fretboard with how it sounds. You can tap on individual notes in random order. This gives you an opportunity to check your knowledge of where they are located.
When you press the Play pattern button, you’ll hear full scale played out from low to high note. It sounds like this: It plays the notes in ascending order and finishes with root an octave higher. This helps you understand how the chosen pattern fits together as well as its overall shape. The playback does not change providing you with a solid reference point for the shape of the scale.
The master volume slider at the bottom right let you adjust how loudly (or softly) things play back. That’s the volume that will be applied to everything going out off the widget. So you can enjoy practicing in comfort without worrying about blowing your ears out or waking up your neighbours! It’s also set to a medium setting for general use by default.
The How to play button on the header opens out a short explanation of how to read strings. It also explains what symbols are for moveable shapes and patterns. It is a handy reminder for when you forget where sounds are or which is which. Click again to close back down into the complete fretboard view.
Make the widget full screen so that the notes are easy to see on small screens and you get a bigger area dedicated to the fretboard. Click the button again to exit fullscreen, or use your browser’s exit function. This is great for concentrated practicing.
You can use the Tab key to navigate the interface without a mouse. Use Space or Enter to activate a button (playback, changing a pattern, selecting a root). Each button is highlighted with keyboard focus so you can see where you are in the menu structure. It’s an accessibility feature and makes it quick to cycle through options.
Play these patterns along several other root notes and hear how it travels up and down the neck. It stays in exactly the same shape but simply moves around the neck. Then compare for example a major scale against its related mode such as a mixolydian or dorian one, which allows you to hear where the flavour comes from depending on start note. Next swap between scales and arpeggios that will give you a sense of the harmony behind each key.
To help find exact locations, use the chart to practice finding the interval names. Locate every perfect fifth in a given key, or every minor seventh. That way, you aren’t just relying on memorizing position patterns. Instead, you are building muscle memory for how to move around on the neck. Seeing this visually reinforces those mental connections.
You can begin with any key that you are comfortabley playing in (E minor is good, as is A major). Then choose something easy to play like the major scale or pentatonic scale. Click the play button for the pattern and listen to it then click the notes yourself and see if you can get the same result. You should of used this tool to explore alternative fingerings and reach higher notes on the five-string bass.