How to visualize chords and scales: a simple, step-by-step method

This was the second Fret Science YouTube video and the first to go "viral". It was published on December 12, 2022, and at its peak, about two weeks later, it received ~26k views in one day. As of December 2025, it has had 433k views, making it my second-most-watched video of all time.

Here's the original video description: How does the quirky tuning of the G and B strings affect scales and chords? Learn to traverse "the warp" and use the circle of fifths to navigate the fretboard with 80% less memorization. See how it applies to triads, the pentatonic scale, and soloing in the blues.

[Errata: The E major triad is mistakenly labeled as an F major triad at around 3:00. Also, in the circle-of-fifths section, there are 4 step sizes that visit all 12 notes, not 3 as stated (1, 5, 7, and 11 semitones).]

Learn the best way to visualize chords and scales to easily move them across the fretboard

Any part of a geometric shape on the fretboard that crosses the invisible line between the G and B strings is shifted by one fret. If going from G to B, it shifts up one fret toward the bridge. If going from B to G, it shifts down one fret toward the nut. I call this “the warp”.

The differences between many related chord fingering patterns are explained by this effect, as shown below for major triads:

The circle of 4ths/5ths determines how roots move when we shift a pattern to an adjacent set of strings. Moving to the next-higher set of strings shifts up a 4th. Moving to the next-lower set shifts down a 4th.

The circle-of-4ths sequence (B-E-A-D-G-C-F-B♭-E♭-A♭-D♭-G♭) wraps around the fretboard as you move to higher strings. Just don’t forget to take into account “the warp”!

The five pentatonic scale patterns can all be created by starting with just one of them and shifting them up a string (again, don’t forget “the warp!”). Form 1 becomes Form 4, which in turn becomes Form 2, which becomes Form 5, which becomes Form 3. And then we get back to Form 1.

This technique works for all repeating scale patterns (e.g., the 7-string repeating 3nps scale pattern and its 5-string repeating “in-position” variant).

It’s even better to start thinking of the pentatonic scale as an infinitely repeating five-string pattern. To play a scale, select six-strings worth of the repeating pattern, and simply slide the top two strings up one fret to account for “the warp”.

In practice, you won’t need to visualize the whole pattern at once. Instead, you’ll know where you are in the repeating pattern for the string your fingers are currently on (e.g., my ring finger is on the root), and you’ll be able to move to the next or previous string by following the pattern up or down.

One really cool thing about this approach is that if someone hands you a 7- or 8-string guitar, you’ll instantly be able to map out the pentatonic scale across the unfamiliar strings, just by extending the repeating pattern onto them.

The final idea in the video is to use the circle-of-4ths and “the warp” to easily target chord tones in a blues progression. In these diagrams, the root is marked in red, the minor third in blue, the fifth in black, and the minor 7th in green. The underlying Form 1 minor pentatonic scale is in grey. All minor thirds are marked with an arrow to indicate that they should be bent upward somewhere between a 1/4 and 1/2 step. Otherwise, they will clash with the major third of the chord.

The IV chord is created by shifting the I chord up to the next-higher set of strings (and adjusting for “the warp”). The V chord is created by shifting the I chord down to the next-lower set of strings (again, adjusting for “the warp”).