Ukulele scales: major, minor, pentatonic and blues
Four scales cover almost everything played on the ukulele: major, natural minor, pentatonic and blues. Below are the notes of each one in the first five frets, in standard G C E A tuning, and when to use each one.
How to read the positions
Strings go from the one closest to your face to the one closest to the floor: G, C, E and A. The number is the fret (0 is the open string). On a standard ukulele the G string is high, so the lowest note on the instrument is the open C.
Major scale (C major)
Notes: C D E F G A B. It is the scale of happy songs and most pop. Starting on the open C, it fits entirely in the first five frets.
| String | Frets (note) |
|---|---|
| G | 0 (G) · 2 (A) · 4 (B) · 5 (C) |
| C | 0 (C) · 2 (D) · 4 (E) · 5 (F) |
| E | 0 (E) · 1 (F) · 3 (G) · 5 (A) |
| A | 0 (A) · 2 (B) · 3 (C) · 5 (D) |
Natural minor scale (A minor)
Notes: A B C D E F G, the same as C major, starting on A. That is why A minor is the relative minor of C major: the positions are the same as in the table above, but phrases rest on A instead of C. It sounds more melancholic.
Minor pentatonic (A minor pentatonic)
Notes: A C D E G. Five notes, without the half steps of the major scale, so it barely clashes with the chords. It is the best scale to start improvising with.
| String | Frets (note) |
|---|---|
| G | 0 (G) · 2 (A) · 5 (C) |
| C | 0 (C) · 2 (D) · 4 (E) |
| E | 0 (E) · 3 (G) · 5 (A) |
| A | 0 (A) · 3 (C) · 5 (D) |
The C major pentatonic (C D E G A) has exactly the same notes: only the note the phrase rests on changes.
Blues scale (A blues)
Notes: A C D E♭ E G: the minor pentatonic plus one note, the "blue note" E♭. On the fretboard it sits on fret 3 of the C string and fret 6 of the A string. Use it in passing, between D and E, and don't stop on it.
Which scale to use
| Scale | Sounds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Happy, resolved | Songs in a major key, singable melodies |
| Natural minor | Melancholic | Songs in a minor key |
| Pentatonic | Open, clash-free | Starting to improvise; rock, pop, folk |
| Blues | Gritty, expressive | Blues, rock, soul |
How to practice
- Play the scale up and down, slowly, with a metronome at 60 BPM.
- Repeat, starting and ending on the tonic (C for major, A for minor).
- Put on a backing track and play the scale over it; the method is in how to improvise on the ukulele.
Common mistakes
- Playing the scale as an exercise instead of a phrase. Running up and down helps you memorize it, but when improvising use few notes, repeat ideas and leave silence.
- Stopping on any note. End your phrases on the tonic or on a tone of the chord that is playing; that is what makes the scale sound resolved.
- Staying stuck in the first five frets. Once you know the open position, play the same scale from fret 5 and fret 7: on the ukulele, the same notes repeat twelve frets higher.
- Using the wrong scale for the key. If the song is in G, the scale is G. To find the key from the chords, use the chord chart analyzer.
The same scales in other keys
Every key has its own page, with the notes, the frets on the fretboard and the chords that fit: G major, D major, F major, B minor, A minor, E minor pentatonic, A blues and more in the guide index. For the chords of each key, see pages like chords in the key of C major.