Make this simple tool to help you study scales and chord shapes on the guitar

On this project I used Inventables X-carve CNC machine:

Easel

X-Carve

CNC project files

You can also make it using more traditional tools.

Tools and materials:

Block plane

Table saw

Bandsaw

Cordless drill

Belt sander

Wood burner

Random orbit sander

Speed square

Drill press

6mm dowels

Cutting mat (board)

This is a really simple tool to help you improve your knowledge of the fretboard. I made it out of 15mm plywood and 6mm dowels. 

First of all I imported my design into Easel. This is the Inventables online software my CNC machines uses. I completed the carving session in two phases. In the first session I used A “V” carving bit to carve all the details. Then I changed to a straight bit to make the holes and the outer shape of my board. 

I cleaned the tabs created by the machine using the bandsaw and a hand plane. 

I painted into the cavities with latex paint. Then I sanded the paint flush with my random orbit sander. 

I finished the piece with a few coats of clear. 

I then cut some 6mm dowels in half on the table saw. I sanded the dowels on my belt sander. 

I painted the tops of the dowels with paint. The red ones represent the tonic or first note of a scale or chord. The blue ones are regular notes. You can also add different colours to represent the 3rd, the 7th the 6th note etc. 

If you don’t have access to a CNC machine you can create an Easel account for free and download my template. Then you can print it out and glue it on your plywood with spray adhesive.

Then use an owl to mark the positions of the holes. Use an exact knife to mark your lines. I used my drill press to drill the holes. I also used the table saw to cut my plywood to size. I rounded over the edges on the belt sander.

Finally I used my wood burner with a ruler to burn my lines on the wood. I created all the typography free hand.

And that was it basically. I created my tool for standard tunings and from 0 to 10 frets. But you can add tape over the carved typography elements and experiment with different tunings or positions on the fret board.

Guitar is an instrument on which you can actually visualise the intervals between notes into shapes. And this in my opinion makes the guitar an instrument that makes music theory easier to master. 

My tool is basically a pegboard. I find it really useful for studying chord shapes, arpeggios and scales.

 Anyway, I hope you liked this one, because that was it. See you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.