Tap the notes you have. This finds every scale that contains them — exact matches first, then the scales those notes sit inside — each linked to its full page.
This is the reverse of the Scale & Chord Finder: instead of choosing a scale to see its notes, you enter the notes and it tells you the scales. Useful when you have a melody, a bass line or a chord vamp and want to know what you can improvise over it.
Expect several answers. The seven modes of the major scale all share the same seven notes, so a C-major note set matches C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian and the rest — the result puts the exact matches first so you can pick the root your music centres on.
Once you have a scale, its page in the Scale Library shows the piano and guitar positions, the diatonic chords and common progressions in the key.
1. Tap each note you have on the note buttons — from a melody, a riff or the notes of a few chords. Order and octave do not matter.
2. Read the results: exact matches (your notes are the whole scale) come first, then the scales that contain your notes plus others.
3. Pick the result whose root sounds like home in your music and open its page for piano and guitar shapes and the chords of the key.
4. Press Clear to start again.
A riff uses E, G, A, B and D. Those five notes are exactly E minor pentatonic, so it appears as an exact match — together with G major pentatonic, which is the same five notes. Seven-note scales that contain them, such as E natural minor, G major and A Dorian, follow below. If the riff keeps landing on E, E minor pentatonic is your answer; for a solo, E natural minor adds the two missing notes, F♯ and C.
How do I find out what scale some notes belong to?
Enter the notes you have. The finder checks every common scale on every root and lists the
ones that contain all of your notes, closest fit first — an exact match (your notes are
exactly the scale) is shown before a scale that merely contains them.
What if my notes match more than one scale?
That is normal — five or six notes often fit several scales, especially the modes, which all
share the same seven notes. The result groups exact matches first, then supersets, so you
can pick the root that makes musical sense for your piece.
Do I need to enter the notes in order?
No. The finder only looks at which notes you picked, not their order or octave, so C–E–G and
G–C–E give the same result. Enter each note once; repeating a note changes nothing.
How many notes should I enter?
Three or four notes fit dozens of scales; five or six narrow it down quickly; all seven
notes of a major-scale family give you the key and its modes. If you only know part of a
melody, enter what you have — the results show which scales are still possible.
What is the difference between an exact match and a scale that contains my notes?
An exact match has your notes and nothing else. A containing scale has all of your notes
plus one or more extra ones. Exact matches are the tightest fit; the containing scales tell
you which fuller scales you could play over the same passage.