• From: Scotland.
  • Registered: 2006-07-13
  • Posts: 218

Topic: Scales

I've been trying to learn some scales lately to help improve my knowledge of my guitar playing a bit.

Now, when I sit and play them with my notes in front of me it isn't a problem, I can stumble through the Major, Natural Minor, Dorian and Phyrgian pretty well.......as long as I have my notes.

My problem is retaining them in my head and playing from memory. It doesn't matter how often I practise them, the next day I've always got to go back and check what I should be playing. sad

Does anyone have any tips that would help me memorise them?  I'm resasonably inteligent, can retain information no probs and have no bother recalling lyrics etc, I just seem to be stumbling on my scales. I run through them every night when i start practising, but just can't seem too be able to retain them.

Should I stick too one scale at a time, learn that stone cold and then move on to the next one perhaps?


Craig.

Blind acceptance is a sign, of stupid fools who stand in line.  John Lydon.

'Mod' is a shorter word for 'young, beautiful and stupid' - we've all been there." - Pete Townshend.

2 Reply by johncross21 (edited by johncross21 2007-06-10 09:22:01)

  • From: Orpington London
  • Registered: 2006-10-22
  • Posts: 390

Re: Scales

Scales are the way which music ascends and descends in pitch

However for most guitarists they are a pattern on the fret board

Start with the five pentatonic shapes and make sure you can visualise each shape

In C the first shape on the fret board is

X                   X
       X            X
X           X
X           X
X                  X
X                  X


The second is (a T on its side)


       X            X
       X            X
X                   X
X                   X
      X             X
      X             X




Note that the top string and bottom string are the same interval for all scales

Note also that the fisrt and second patterns are interlocking

Once you have the pentatonic shapes in your head - the major and minor scales become variations and expansions on the basic pattern

That it all at a pace you enjoy

johncross21's Website

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: Scales

John has it exactly right.  Don't try to learn all the notes of all the scales, learn the patterns that form the various scale voicings, as they are portable.  What you'll find is that instead of having to learn 12 major, and the 7 modes associated with it  (12 * 7 = alottascales) you can learn two to five scale patterns, and play wherever you want.

G major scale is exactly the same pattern as G#,  A, A# B,  C, C#, D etc....

Someday we'll win this thing...

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