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 chords and melodies. On the guitar 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 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.
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 →
A scale is an ordered sequence of notes within an octave that follows a fixed succession of intervals. It isn't the individual note names that define a scale, but the distances between the notes – exactly these intervals are made visible step by step in the explorer above.
Because these patterns stay the same from every root note, every key produces the same shape pattern on the guitar – just at a different spot on the fretboard. Anyone who has internalized the distances of a scale can therefore find it anywhere on the neck.
The notes of a scale give rise to the matching chords and melodies of a piece. That is why understanding scales is the key to recognizing relationships on the fretboard.
We explain in detail how a scale is built and which types there are. Scales explained →