Free Guitar Scales Chart
The five pentatonic positions joined across the neck, then the scales that grow from them: major, minor, blues and the modes guitarists use, plus which scale fits which chord. Free in eight sizes, in US or UK music terms.
Make it yours: see it in another style
Any US home printer (8.5 × 11 in). A binder, desk or music stand.
Download the PDFLetter, US · 116 KB
Customize this posterChange the sections, style and colors, and add your own title, in the Music Theory Poster Maker. $9 PDF.
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Make this poster yours
- Your own title, like “Mrs. Green’s Music Room”
- Only the sections you teach, or add more
- A different style: Dark, Modern or Minimal
Customize this poster →$9 PDF · try it free first
On the Letter poster (3 sections)
- Pentatonic Positions
- Major Scale Shapes
- Moving a Shape to Any Key
Plus a practice tip in the space left over.
The bigger the poster, the more fits: A2 and larger have all 11 sections.
All sizes and files
| Size | Dimensions | Sections | US terms | UK terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | 216 × 279 mm · 8.5 × 11 in | 3 | PDF, 116 KB | PDF, 116 KB |
| A4 | 210 × 297 mm · 8.3 × 11.7 in | 3 | PDF, 116 KB | PDF, 116 KB |
| 11 × 17 in | 279 × 432 mm · 11 × 17 in | 6 | PDF, 170 KB | PDF, 170 KB |
| A3 | 297 × 420 mm · 11.7 × 16.5 in | 6 | PDF, 170 KB | PDF, 170 KB |
| A2 | 420 × 594 mm · 16.5 × 23.4 in | 10 | PDF, 245 KB | PDF, 245 KB |
| 18 × 24 in | 18 × 24 in · 457 × 610 mm | 10 | PDF, 246 KB | PDF, 246 KB |
| A1 | 594 × 841 mm · 23.4 × 33.1 in | 11 | PDF, 289 KB | PDF, 289 KB |
| 24 × 36 in | 24 × 36 in · 610 × 914 mm | 11 | PDF, 289 KB | PDF, 289 KB |
What’s on the guitar scales chart
- The five pentatonic positions: A minor pentatonic across the neck from the 4th to the 17th fret, with each position bracketed and shown again as its own box. A is the minor root; C, ringed, is the home of C major pentatonic, which uses the same notes.
- Major scale shapes: A major with the root on the 6th string and on the 5th.
- Moving a shape to any key: which fret is which key on the 6th and 5th strings.
- The blues scale, natural minor, Dorian and Mixolydian (11 × 17 in and larger), each with the note that gives it its sound in orange.
- Harmonic minor, major pentatonic, the major blues scale and which scale fits which chord (A2 and larger).
- Lydian and Phrygian (A1 and 24 × 36 in).
Every shape is in A, so they’re easy to compare, and every dot is worked out from standard tuning and checked: each shape holds only its scale’s notes, all of them.
How to use it
- Start with position 1: it’s the shape most solos use. Play it up and down slowly, then add positions 2 and 5, the ones either side.
- Connect the positions: each position starts where the last one ends, so you can slide from one to the next and use the whole neck.
- Change key: move every shape together. Put the root on the fret for your key using the table, for example the 3rd fret on the 6th string for G.
- Pick the scale for the chord: the “which scale over which chord” table tells you what to play over a minor chord, a 7th chord or a major chord.
Learn it step by step
The poster is a reminder; these free lessons and guides teach each part, with notes you can play and hear.
- Pentatonic Positions
- Major and Minor Scales · Lesson 33: The Minor Scale
- Major Scale Shapes
- Lesson 28: Build a Major Scale · Major and Minor Scales
- Natural Minor on the Neck
- Lesson 33: The Minor Scale · Major and Minor Scales
- Moving a Shape to Any Key
- Lesson 26: Half Steps and Whole Steps
- Which Scale Over Which Chord
- Chords in a Key · Chord Formulas
Questions
Is it really free? Yes. Download it, print as many copies as you like, and share the link. No email or account.
Which size should I print? Letter or A4 holds the pentatonic positions, the major shapes and the key table. 11 × 17 in and larger add more scales, and A2 and up have the full chart.
Why is everything in A? Most guitarists learn their first scales in A minor, and keeping one key makes the shapes easy to compare. Every shape moves to any other key; the chart shows how.
How do the five positions relate to CAGED? Each pentatonic position sits around one of the five CAGED chord shapes. The CAGED system chart shows the five shapes with their arpeggio, pentatonic and major scale.