An interval is the distance between two notes – for example from a root note to its fifth, fourth or octave. In other words, the distances between the individual notes of a scale. It is exactly these distances that shape the sound of bass lines and chords. On the bass they show up as recurring shape patterns on the fretboard: a fifth looks the same from every root note, no matter which position you play it in.
The Interval Explorer makes these relationships visible. Below you can choose a root note and an interval. Every occurrence is then highlighted on the 4-string bass fretboard – red for the root note, blue for the interval note. This makes it easy to see where the same relationship recurs all over the neck.
The idea behind it: instead of memorizing individual note names, understand the relationships between the notes. Once you have internalized the patterns, you can find notes, chords and scales anywhere on the fretboard. On the bass, all four strings (E – A – D – G) are a perfect fourth apart, so the shape patterns apply across the whole board without exception.
Pick a root note and an interval below to see every occurrence on the fretboard.
New to scales? We explain step by step what a scale actually is and how it is built. Scales explained →