An interactive fretboard map to help you learn the guitar. Use ← and → arrows to change keys, and square brackets [ and ] to quickly change the scale. Need help with this tool? Scroll down for an overview & video tutorial.
I'm hungry for a major scale in the key of E
Note Label: Scale Degree Note Name None
Highlight: Root (1) Triads (1-3-5) None
Fret Visibility (reset)
String Visibility (reset)
Click any string label above — i.e. the EADGBe letters — to hide the notes on that string. This is helpful if you want to remove nearby strings to reduce distraction.
Instrument
Guitar Guitar (Drop D) Guitar (Double Drop D) Guitar (Open D) Guitar (DADGAD) Guitar (Open E) Guitar (Open G) Cigar Box Guitar (3 String, Open G) Cigar Box Guitar (4 String, Open G) Dobro (Open G) Ukulele Bass Banjo (top 4 strings) Mandolin
Curious about this tool and how to use it? Check out the video above! It gives a walkthrough of how FretMonster works, and the various ways you might use it.
In short, it provides a map of the notes on the guitar fretboard based on whatever key and scale you specify. For me, this tool was invaluable in helping me "see" chord shapes, scales, triads, intervals, and other patterns as they repeat on the fretboard. Here's timestamps of what I cover in my video:
Here's a handful of lessons I've made where I made use of FretMonster while explaining the concepts at hand. Whether you're looking to brush up on your theory, or simply want to know where on the fretboard you can play a specific lick — there's tons of utility you can get from this tool!
June 20, 2025 - Added banjo (top four strings only). Also, I fixed the sound so it works properly on all instruments... before it was whack for everything except for the default guitar in standard tuning.
June 19, 2025 - made it so any changes you make to key, scale, instrument, highlight, or label are all preserved in the URL (adddress) bar. This allows you to share the URL of a specific FretMonster setup, and whoever loads that URL will see the exact same setup. Likewise, when you reload the page (e.g. with CMD-R or CTRL-R) the fretboard will retain its setup.
Feb 17, 2025 - tweaked the code so it's more aware of contextual sharps and flats, per the given key. For example, in the Key of B-flat it will only show flats, and never sharps. Vice versa for the Key of C#.
Feb 5, 2025 - tweaked the code so when you click a note, the sound plays much more quickly. This lets you click multiple notes in a row, e.g. if you're playing a melody, and hear the desired tones without a distacting delay.
I originally built FretMonster back in 2015. At that time I was eager to brush up on my web development skills (jQuery, in particular) and wanted a pet-project I could use as a guinea pig. I've always been a doodler, and drawing maps of the fretboard was a frequent hobby of mine back in college. So, I took those tendencies and turned them into a web-based project. This was back in 2014 or so, as chronicled by a few Dribbble shots I posted to my profile back at that time.
A few months later, I got things to a place where I was pleased with how things looked, worked, and felt to use while playing guitar. I've made some changes over the years (e.g. adding instruments), but the current version of the tool is largely the same under the hood. There are so, so many new features I'd like to add... hopefully one day I'll get around to them! In the meantime I hope it is of service in your guitar journey.
If you've read this far and am curious about me and my Song Notes project, here's a few links. You can hear my guitar story if you're curious about my 20 years of being a self-taught player. Aside from the free videos I post on Youtube, I also make premium content — mainly print-friendly song sheets (available for purchase) and instructional PDFs, which are available to Song Notes members. If you want to stay in the loop with my ongoing weekly lessons, sign up for my free email newsletter.
If you've found my lessons helpful and want to toss some bread in the tip jar, here's the PayPal link. Any amount is appreciated. Thanks so much!
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