Scales & Modes

Start building a solid musical foundation.

This page introduces you to the essential guitar scales and modes used in jazz and modern music.

Each scale is explained with clear diagrams, practical fingerings, and straightforward theory to help you understand how they work and when to use them.

Use these materials to strengthen your technique, improve your ear, and develop the skills needed for confident improvisation.

What's A Scale In Music?

A scale is a sequence of ascending or descending pitches that form a palette of notes that can be used to create melodies or improvised lines.

The notes have differing intervals between them, sometimes it's one half-step (semitone), other times it's a whole step (two semitones). 

What Are The Main Musical Scales?

There are many types of musical scales  : 

✔︎ Diatonic scales (constructed from a mix of half-steps and whole-steps)

✔︎ Chromatic scales (every half note in an octave).

✔︎ Whole-tone scales (notes a whole step apart).

✔︎ Pentatonic scales (five notes per octave).

✔︎ Hexatonic scales (six pitches per octave).

✔︎ Bebop scales (eight notes scales).

✔︎ Symmetric scales (equal division of the octave).

Scales can even include quarter-tones and micro tones in the music of other cultures.

What Is a Musical Mode?

A mode is a specific type of scale. Each such sequence created by starting on a different note of a scale is a mode of that scale. In other words, a mode can be seen as a scale within a scale.

You may obtain multiple lessons covering the primary guitar scale types for free by clicking on the links below.

✔︎  Modes Of The Major Scale

Ionian

Dorian

Phrygian

Lydian

Mixolydian

Aeolian

Locrian

✔︎  Modes Of The Harmonic Minor Scale

Harmonic minor scale

Locrian 13 or Locrian 6

Ionian #5

Dorian #11

Phrygian dominant

Lydian #2

Super locrian bb7

✔︎  Modes Of The Melodic Minor Scale

Melodic minor aka jazz minor scale

Dorian b9

Lydian augmented

Lydian dominant

Mixolydian b13

Locrian #2

Super Locrian (Altered scale)

✔︎  Modes Of The Harmonic Major Scale

Ionian b6

Dorian b5

Phrygian b4

Lydian b3

Mixolydian b2

Lydian Augmented #2

Locrian bb7

✔︎  Modes Of The Double Harmonic Major Scale

Double Harmonic Major (aka Byzantine)

Lydian Sharp Second Sharp Sixth

Ultraphrygian / Phrygian b4 bb7

Hungarian Minor / Double Harmonic Minor / Gypsy Minor / Harmonic Minor #4

Oriental / Asian / Mixolydian b5 b9

Ionian Augmented #2

Locrian bb3 bb7

✔︎ Bebop Scales

Major Bebop

Dorian Bebop

Dominant Bebop

Locrian Bebop

Phrygian Dominant Bebop

Harmonic Minor Bebop

Melodic Minor Bebop

✔︎ Pentatonic Scales

Major pentatonic

Minor Pentatonic

Suspended

Man Gong

Ritusen

Dominant

Altered

Dorian

Dorian b2

Diminished

Half-diminished

Minor 6

Lydian

Lydian Dominant

Aeolian

Locrian

✔︎ Blues Scales

Minor Blues

Major Blues

Mixo Blues

Voodoo Blues

✔︎  Symmetric Scales

Chromatic

Diminished

Whole Tone

Augmented

Tritone

 ✔︎  Exotic Scales And Rare Scales

Prometheus

Byzantine

Enigmatic

Persian

Javanese

Neapolitan Minor

Neapolitan Major

Overtone

Hindu

Romanian Major

Romanian Minor

Hungarian Major

Hungarian Minor

Spanish Gipsy

Arabian aka Locrian Major

Ritsu

Major Sixth Diminished Scale

Minor Sixth Diminished Scale

Asian Scale Aka Minor Romani Inversed

Iwato scale

Scottish Pentatonic Scale

Related PDF Methods

The following pics below show the PDF methods that deal with scales. 

You will find below lesson providing guitar scale charts, shapes, theory, tabs and exercises for practicing modes on guitar. Click on the links to access the categories.