Guitar scale · exotic
A Tritone Scale
Six-note scale 1 ♭2 3 ♯4 5 ♭7. It is made of two major triads a tritone apart.
Tap any note to hear it.
A Tritone Scale tab: all 5 positions
Each tab climbs from the low E string to the high e string. Play it up, then back down.
e|-------------------------5-6-9-| B|-----------------------8-------| G|-----------------6-8-9---------| D|-----------5-7-8---------------| A|-------6-7---------------------| E|-5-6-9-------------------------|
e|------------------------------9-11-| B|----------------------8-10-11------| G|------------------8-9--------------| D|-----------7-8-11------------------| A|------7-10-------------------------| E|-9-11------------------------------|
e|-----------------------------------9-11-12-| B|-----------------------------10-11---------| G|------------------------9-12---------------| D|------------------11-13--------------------| A|---------10-12-13--------------------------| E|-9-11-12-----------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------12-15-| B|-------------------------------14-16-------| G|----------------------12-14-15-------------| D|----------------13-14----------------------| A|-------12-13-16----------------------------| E|-12-15-------------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------15-17-18-| B|-------------------------------16-17----------| G|----------------------14-15-18----------------| D|----------------14-17-------------------------| A|----------16-18-------------------------------| E|-15-17-18-------------------------------------|
How to play A Tritone on guitar
Find the root first: A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. The blue notes on the diagram are every A on the neck; the gold ones are the rest of the scale's home chord (3, 5, ♭7), the safest notes to land on at the end of a phrase.
Learn it one box at a time. Position 1, the E shape, sits at frets 5–9. Once it's under your fingers, move to position 2 (the D shape) and play the notes the two boxes share, then keep going up the neck. After all five, the scale joins up into one pattern across the whole fretboard.
Degrees
| Degree | Note |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| ♭2 | Bb |
| 3 | C# |
| ♯4 | D# |
| 5 | E |
| ♭7 | G |
Fretwise · Free on iPhone & Android
Practise A Tritone anywhere, even offline.
This page is a small slice of Fretwise. The app adds practice: exercises that play as tab, a new routine every day, and the tools to tune and keep time. On iPhone, iPad and Android, no sign-up.
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- 65 scales and 56 chord types in every key, with CAGED shapes
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- Maqam & makam between the frets, and the Name the Note quiz
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- 282 exercises that play as tab, and routines with a speed trainer
- Chord & Scale Finder: tap the neck, get the name
- Theory Lab and the Progression Builder with 51 genre loops
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Questions
- What notes are in the A Tritone Scale?
- The A Tritone Scale has 6 notes: A, Bb, C#, D#, E, G.
- What is the formula of the tritone scale?
- 1 ♭2 3 ♯4 5 ♭7, which is the step pattern H W+H W H W+H W (W = whole step, H = half step).
- Where do I play A Tritone on the guitar?
- The root A is at fret 5 on the low E string and fret 0 on the A string. Position 1 (the E shape) covers frets 5–9, and four more positions connect it up the neck.