Jazz Scales
| Degrees | |
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| Steps | |
| Semitones |
Chords built on each degree
| Degree | Triad | Numeral | Seventh chord | Numeral |
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The first note you type is treated as the likely tonic when two scales fit equally well.
Jazz scales in any key: Dorian, Mixolydian, melodic minor, Lydian dominant, altered, whole tone, diminished, bebop and blues. Notes, staff, sound.
About the Jazz Scales
This free jazz scales tool shows you the scales jazz players use to improvise over chords, and lets you hear, see and play them. It runs in your web browser with no sign-up. Nothing is uploaded, and the tool sets no cookies.
Choose one of 17 tonic spellings and one of nine scale types, including Dorian, Mixolydian, Lydian dominant, altered, whole tone and blues. The page opens in C with Dorian selected. For each scale you get a table of degrees, steps and semitones, a treble staff, a piano keyboard and, for seven-note scales, a table of chords built on each degree. Use it as a jazz scale chart while you practise, or to check which scale fits a chord you are playing.
How to use the jazz scales
- Open the page. It starts in C with Dorian selected.
- Open the Tonic menu and choose a note name, from C to B, including sharps and flats. If a spelling would need triple accidentals, the tool suggests an enharmonic tonic, such as B♭ instead of A♯.
- Open the Scale type menu and choose one of the nine scales: Dorian, Mixolydian, Melodic minor (ascending), Lydian dominant, Altered (super Locrian), Whole tone, Diminished (half-whole), Bebop dominant or Blues (minor blues).
- Read the three rows under the scale name. Degrees shows the scale degrees, Steps shows whole and half steps (W and H), and Semitones shows the size of each step and the number of notes per octave.
- Press ▶ Ascending, ▶ Descending or ▶ Up and down to hear the scale one octave above middle C. The note chips light up as each note sounds. Browsers keep sound off until you click, touch or press a key on the page, so press once first if you hear nothing.
- Look at the staff and the two-octave keyboard. The tonic is highlighted. Click any key on the keyboard to play that note.
- For seven-note scales, scroll to the Chords built on each degree table to see the triad and seventh chord on every degree, with Roman numerals.
The address bar keeps your chosen tonic and scale type, for example ?tonic=Eb&type=altered. Copy that link to open the same scale again.
Which scales are used in jazz#
The scales most often taught for jazz are matched to chord types. Dorian is used over minor 7 chords, Mixolydian and bebop dominant over dominant 7 chords, Lydian dominant over 7♯11 chords, and the altered and half-whole diminished scales over altered dominant chords. The whole tone scale fits 7♯5 chords. These are a common starting point, not the only choice.
A scale is a set of steps. Each step is a whole step (W, two semitones) or a half step (H, one semitone). Dorian, for example, is W-H-W-W-W-H-W, which gives C D E♭ F G A B♭ starting from C. Many of these scales are closely related to each other. Dorian and Mixolydian are modes of the major scale, the second and fifth modes. Lydian dominant is the fourth mode of the melodic minor scale, and the altered scale is its seventh mode. For a major 7 chord, the major (Ionian) or Lydian scale is a common choice, and both are on the Scale finder page.
Which scale do you play over a dominant 7 chord#
Over a plain dominant 7 chord, start with Mixolydian or bebop dominant. Mixolydian is the major scale with a flat 7th, degrees 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7, with steps W-W-H-W-W-H-W. Bebop dominant adds a B natural to the Mixolydian scale, giving C D E F G A B♭ B. The extra note lets the chord tones fall on the strong beats in a run of eight notes.
For a dominant 7♯11 chord, use Lydian dominant (1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7). For altered dominant chords with raised or lowered 9ths and 5ths, use the altered scale (1 ♭2 ♭3 ♭4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7). The half-whole diminished scale is an alternative over a dominant 7♭9 chord.
How can I compare jazz scales over the same chord?#
Choose the tonic that matches the root of your chord, then switch the Scale type to compare scales that could sit over it. For a C dominant chord, try Mixolydian, Lydian dominant, bebop dominant and altered one after another, and press Ascending each time to hear which notes change.
Frequently asked questions
Which scale do you play over a minor 7 chord?
What are the notes of the Dorian scale in C?
What is the Lydian dominant scale?
What is the blues scale?
Is the jazz scales tool free, and does it need an account?
Why can't I hear the scale when I press play?
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