Bass Guitar Scale Fingering

Bass players use two classic fingering systems. One finger per fret spreads the hand over four frets and suits most electric-bass lines; the Simandl approach borrowed from the double bass covers three frets with fingers 1, 2 and 4, which is gentler on the hand in the low positions.

This tool draws a standard-tuned four-string neck to the 12th fret, shades the chosen position, and numbers every scale note inside it — 0 marks an open string. Ghost dots show the rest of the scale so you can see where the next position begins.

Pick the root and scale — major, natural, harmonic or melodic minor, both pentatonics, or blues — then compare how the same pattern feels in each system. Positions marked with a check contain the complete scale inside the window.

Labels flip between fingers, note names, and degrees, and everything runs locally in the browser, so the chart works equally well for practice and for learning the fretboard.