Guitar Fretboard Chart
Standard tuning E–A–D–G–B–E · frets 0–12 · find notes or map any scale
How to play
- Tap any note on the board to hear it and see its name, string and fret. The board reads like tab: the top row is the thin high E (1st string), the bottom row is the thick low E (6th string).
- In Find a note mode, pick a note letter — every place it appears lights up, so you can see how the same note repeats across the neck.
- Switch to Show a scale mode, then choose a root and a scale or arpeggio. The pattern lights up everywhere, each note labelled by its interval (1 = root, 3, 5, ♭7…) — and it's movable, so the shape works for any key.
- The dots under the fret numbers are the position markers (frets 3, 5, 7, 9, and a double at 12, the octave).
- Open strings strums E–A–D–G–B–E. Vol sets volume. Keyboard — Tab to any note or control, Enter/Space to activate.
This is an interactive chart that allows you to map out scales and notes onto a typical guitar fretboard. By navigating controls with your computer keyboard or by simply clicking on the grid itself you get to explore the instrument. It’s useful if you want to see movement of scale patterns around the neck and where certain pitches lives. It is a good way for beginner learners to learn finger placement. It also help seasoned player test their chord shapes by offering clear visual feedback.
Six rows of buttons represent strings themselves, horizontally across the interface. From left to right the highest string is the high E, followed by A, D, G, B and low E (bottom row). Frets are indicated vertically on each string from open up to twelve with a division for each fret. As you click a button it sounds out note on your computer’s speakers. In addition, a readout appear below the board. It displays where that note sit on the guitar and what its exact frequency is.
How to Use This Guitar Tool
The board has two mode. One highlights notes and one shows patterns. With the find a note mode, you select a note from button row above the grid. When activated it will light up all instances of that note on all strings. This way you have another position for each note if required. In scale mode, the pattern is mapped out for you. Select a scale type and root key from selection available. The board will then display the relative intervals to the chosen root. Yellow is used for the root note with other scale tones highlighted in teal. Any notes not in the selected scale are faded out making it less cluttered.
Press the button marked Open strings and you’ll be able to strum the six open strings together. Using the default standard tuning, this will sound as a quick chord sample. A volume slider sits next to that play button and controls how loud it plays generaly. If your working environment is quiet, then adjust to suit. Subtle dynamics becomes clearer too. As you move the slider around, the page doesn’t need reloading; the interface reacts instantly.
In the header you’ll also find a Fullscreen button that will expand widget to full screen so it uses the whole screen for easier viewing on smaller screens. This is particularly helpful if you’re exploring some more complex scale patterns and want to see more of the fretboard at once. To leave fullscreen mode simply hit the Fullscreen button again, or navigate with your system keyboard shortcuts.
If you’d like a reminder of how the interface works, there’s a help panel to give you more information. The keyboard interface is typical of any accessible system, using common keyboard shortcuts for navigation. To highlight a button or other control, press Tab to cycle through options. Activate the highlighted item by pressing either Space or Enter. You can adjust the scale root or mode this way, eliminating need for a mouse. Your current selection will be outlined visually so you know exactly where your focus reside. Keyboard shortcuts behave the same as pointing devices in terms of layout.
Next try plotting out some minor and major pentatonic scales then look at the symmetry of them. This will reinforce your muscle memory when it comes to being able to play up and down scales in other areas. Why not create some arpeggios that show you chord tones over the neck too? Being able to see notes on the fretboard and hear them connects theory directly to practice. With the dimming function you can single out certain degrees of a chord or scale. Choose a comfortabley key, then click on individual notes up the length of each string. You’ll hear that it increase in pitch towards the upper frets.
Next, try using scale mode, which shows you different intervals next to each other so you can compare them. Try playing both single note lines vs full chords, imagining muting strings out of the way. The benefit here is no set-up required, just direct visual/auditory feedback. Get stuck in and open up your fretboard possibilities now.