Free during beta

Cadenza

The system behind the sound.

Scales, modes, chord-scale maps, fretboard diagrams, arpeggios, ear training, play-along practice, and an AI coach. Built for guitarists who improvise.

ChordsProgressionsPracticeEar TrainingScalesArpeggiosChromaticSheets

Scales

All families
Major Scale7 modes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The major scale is the cornerstone of Western tonal music. Built from a specific pattern of whole and half steps (W-W-H-W-W-W-H), it generates seven modes that together account for the vast majority of harmony in pop, rock, jazz, classical, and folk traditions. Every chord you encounter in a standard lead sheet. major 7ths, minor 7ths, dominant 7ths, and half-diminished chords. arises naturally from harmonizing this single scale. Understanding the major scale and its modes is not just a starting point; it is the framework upon which nearly all other harmonic knowledge is built.

Melodic Minor7 modes

1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 7

The melodic minor scale. played the same ascending and descending in jazz (unlike classical practice). is often described as a major scale with a flatted third. That single alteration opens up an entirely new world of harmonic color. Its seven modes produce some of the most important sounds in modern jazz: the Altered scale for dominant 7th chords resolving to minor or used over altered dominants, Lydian Dominant for tritone substitutions, and Lydian Augmented for augmented major 7th chords. Jazz musicians treat melodic minor as the second essential scale family after the major scale, and for good reason. it fills in the harmonic gaps that diatonic major-scale harmony cannot reach.

Harmonic Minor7 modes

1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7

The harmonic minor scale introduces an augmented second interval (between ♭6 and 7) that gives it an immediately recognizable exotic flavor. This interval. three half steps within a seven-note scale. creates a sound associated with Middle Eastern music, Flamenco, classical minor-key writing, and film scores evoking mystery or drama. In functional harmony, harmonic minor exists because natural minor lacks a leading tone; by raising the 7th degree, composers gained a proper V7 chord in minor keys. Its modes produce some of the most distinctive colors in all of Western and cross-cultural music, most notably Phrygian Dominant. the quintessential Flamenco and Middle Eastern scale.

Essential Modes

9 of 43
Ionian
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The sound of 'home.' Bright, resolved, and familiar. this is the plain major scale you already know. It sounds happy, stable, and complete.

7
Lydian
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 7

Dreamy, floating, and ethereal. Lydian is the 'bright major'. brighter than Ionian because the ♯4 removes the only point of darkness in the major scale. It shimmers.

♯4
Dorian
1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7

Minor but not sad. Dorian has a warm, soulful quality. think Santana, Miles Davis, or a funky minor groove. The natural 6th lifts the darkness just enough to keep it cool rather than brooding.

6
Mixolydian
1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7

Bluesy, confident, and strong. Mixolydian is the dominant sound. it wants to resolve but also grooves hard on its own. Think blues-rock, Grateful Dead jams, and funky dominant vamps.

♭7
Lydian Dominant
1 2 3 ♯4 5 6 ♭7

The sophisticated dominant sound. Mixolydian's bluesy confidence meets Lydian's brightness. it's a dominant chord that floats rather than pushes. Think Steely Dan, Allan Holdsworth, and modern jazz comping.

♯4♭7
Altered
1 ♭2 ♯2 3 ♭5 ♯5 ♭7

Maximum tension over a dominant chord. Every extension is altered. ♭9, ♯9, ♭5, ♯5. It's the sound of bebop tension about to explode into resolution. Chaotic but controlled.

♭2♯2♭5♯5
Locrian Natural 2
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 ♭7

Locrian but smoother. The natural 2nd removes the harsh half-step cluster at the bottom of regular Locrian, making it more usable and musical over half-diminished chords.

2♭5
Phrygian Dominant
1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7

The 'Spanish dominant' sound. The major 3rd over a ♭2 creates that intense, dramatic flamenco quality. It's a dominant scale that sounds ancient, passionate, and cinematic. Think of a bullfight or a dramatic flamenco guitar solo.

♭23
Whole-Half Diminished
1 2 ♭3 4 ♭5 ♭6 6 7

Dark, mysterious, and symmetrically beautiful. The whole-half diminished scale has a haunting, noir-film quality — every diminished arpeggio is embedded within it, and the alternating intervals create a sound that seems to spiral inward. It is the mirror image of the half-whole diminished, but built on a diminished chord rather than a dominant chord.

♭56

Why Cadenza

Most guitarists know scales but freeze when the chord changes. Theory is taught as disconnected facts. Cadenza connects modes to chords, chords to progressions, and everything to the fretboard.

Structure

Modes organized by family. Interval formulas, chord fits, guitar applications.

Practice

Fretboard diagrams, drills, progression trainers. Built to sit next to your guitar.

Intelligence

An AI coach grounded in real theory data. Ask it anything.

Try this

“What do I play over Dm7♭5 → G7alt?”

Locrian ♮2 on the ii. Altered on the V. Both from melodic minor. Cadenza maps this with shapes, target notes, and a coach for follow-ups.

Locrian ♮2AlteredChord ExplorerAsk AI Coach

Free during beta. No account required.