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Guitar Scale Application

You need Python with Tk support (go to: http://www.python.org/ All you need to know, you will find there and it is very easy to install Python)

Windows users that dont want to install Python (i. e. without adding it to the registry) can downoad the standalone Version (see below).

The Programm has 2 Input boxes, one for scales and one for the tones of chords (it is not an guitar chord application). It is usefull and I use it, but usefullness was not the focus. I only wanted to see how it looks like with a real fret. (If you are used too other programms like this, you will find it hard to transpose the real postions too your fingers, because the proportions are real! That is funny I think!

(One note to Tk: it’s not modern, ok, but stable, fast and with Tkinter so easy. And there is a very good book out there: John E. Grayson, ’’Python an Tkinter Programming’‘)

scalebox:

result:

chordbox:

result:

there is a config file:

# Scales
s:major:2,2,1,2,2,2
s:minor:2,1,2,2,1,2
s:pentatonic major:2,2,3,2
s:pentatonic minor:3,2,2,3
s:blues:3,2,1,1,3
s:dorian:2,1,2,2,2,1
s:whole-tone:2,2,2,2,2
s:harmonic minor:2,1,2,2,1,3
s:locrian:1,2,2,1,2,2
s:lydian:2,2,2,1,2,2
s:melodic minor:2,1,2,2,2,2
s:mixolydian:2,2,1,2,2,1
s:phygrian:1,2,2,2,1,2
s:sinti major:1,3,1,2,1,3
s:sinti minor:2,1,3,1,1,3

#Chordes
c:MAJ:4,3
c:-:3,4
c:MAJ7:4,3,4
c:7:4,3,3
c:-7:3,4,3
c:-7b5:3,3,4

You can add more scales and chords. Definition follows intervalstructure. only the half tone steps between the tones. Example: major scale: s(means scale):major(the name):2,2,1,2,2,2 (cause scales end where they start there are only 6 steps between the 8 tones of an 8-tone scale. Cyclic Structure!)

Download the zip file and do what you want: scaleapp.zip (without Python)

Standalone Version for MS Windows based on the standalone python package by Neil Schemenauer (Only tested on XP): gsa.zip (7 Mb. unzip anywhere you want and launch through gsa.exe. Python sources and especally the config file, where you can add new scales and chords, are in the App directory)

or take the selfextracting gsa.exe (only 5 Mb) put it where want it and doubleclick on it to extract it. It produces a directory ‘gsa’ and inside is the application gsa.exe

Sell it (hard), Change it (not hard), Use it (easy)