Scale Formulas Every Guitarist Should Know
📘 For Beginners: What Are Scale Formulas?
Scale formulas tell you which notes make up a scale. They’re written as numbers — like “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7” — where each number stands for a note's distance from the root. If you've ever wondered what makes a major scale sound happy or a blues scale sound gritty, the answer is in the formula. Learning these numbers helps you build scales anywhere on the guitar neck and understand why they sound the way they do.
📗 For Intermediate Players: How to Use Scale Degrees Musically
As an intermediate player, you can use scale formulas to go beyond shapes. The numbers tell you where the juicy notes live — b3 for that minor sadness, #4 for Lydian space, b7 for blues tension. Knowing the degrees helps you solo with intention, target chord tones, and instantly transpose scales to any key. These formulas also show how scales connect, like how Aeolian and Dorian differ by just one note (the 6th). This is real-deal fretboard fluency.
This chart is a theory cheat code. Whether you’re trying to figure out a solo, build a new scale, or decode a weird lick, scale formulas are how you understand what’s going on under the hood. Here's how to read them, and how to use them.
🎼 POPULAR SCALES
| Scale | Formula | Mood |
|---|---|---|
| Major | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | Bright, stable, foundational |
| Natural Minor | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 | Sad, emotional |
| Harmonic Minor | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 | Exotic, classical, dramatic |
| Melodic Minor | 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 | Smooth, jazzy, ascending-only |
| Major Pentatonic | 1 2 3 5 6 | Upbeat, open, sweet |
| Minor Pentatonic | 1 b3 4 5 b7 | Gritty, classic rock/blues |
| Blues | 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7 | Dirty, expressive, tense |
This chart is a theory cheat code. Whether you’re trying to figure out a solo, build a new scale, or decode a weird lick, scale formulas are how you understand what’s going on under the hood. Here's how to read them, and how to use them.
🎛 MODES (Derived from the Major Scale)
| Mode | Formula | Unique Tone |
|---|---|---|
| Ionian | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | Standard major |
| Dorian | 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 | Minor + jazzy vibe |
| Phrygian | 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 | Minor + exotic tension |
| Lydian | 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7 | Major + floaty, dreamy |
| Mixolydian | 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 | Major + bluesy/funky edge |
| Aeolian | 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 | Standard natural minor |
| Locrian | 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 | Dissonant, rarely used |
This chart is a theory cheat code. Whether you’re trying to figure out a solo, build a new scale, or decode a weird lick, scale formulas are how you understand what’s going on under the hood. Here's how to read them, and how to use them.
🔥 EXOTIC SCALES (Outside the Major Scale System)
| Scale Name | Formula | Vibe / Use |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Tone | 1 2 3 #4 #5 #6 | Dreamy, ambiguous, modern jazz |
| Diminished | 1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 6 7 | Creepy, symmetrical, tension |
| Altered | 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 b7 | Jazz, fusion, over 7alt chords |
| Locrian ♮9 | 1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 | Dark but slightly “opened” |
| Lydian ♭7 | 1 2 3 #4 5 6 b7 | Fusion, like Lydian + Mixolyd. |
| Mixolydian ♭9♭13 | 1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7 | Flamenco, Phrygian Dominant |
