1 Topic by johncross21 (edited by johncross21 2012-06-08 12:28:20)

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

Topic: Open Scale shapes

I recently started practicising on my acoustic guitar and focusing on finger picking.  This uses a lot of open position notes so I've been praticising my scales in the Open position

As I already know lots of scale patterns it was a bit intimidating to be faced with 5 new patterns. However after a while I
began to recognise similarities between open scale patterns. For example the C major scale is hardly any different from the one I am used to playing except that some of the notes don't need to be fretted. 

C Major Scale


E    F    -    G
           
B    C    -    D
           
G    -    A   
           
D    -    E    F
           
A    -    B    C           

E    F    -    G

johncross21's Website

2 Reply by johncross21 (edited by johncross21 2012-06-08 12:25:39)

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

Re: Open Scale shapes

The next shapes are


G major Scale
                   
                   
E    -    F#    G       
                   
B    C    -    D       
                   
G        A           
                   
D    -    E    -    F#   
                   
A    -    B    C       
                   
E    -    F#    G       
                   
       
           

D Major scale                    
                   

E    -    F#    G       
                   
B    -    C#    D       
                   
G    -    A           
                   
D    -    E        F#   
                   
A    -    B    -    C#   
                   
E    -    F#    G       
                   


A Major Scale    
               
                   
E    -    F#    -    G#   
                   
B        C#    D       
                   
-    G#    A           
                   
D    -    E    -    F#   
                   
A    -    B    -    C#   
                   
E    -    F#    -    G#   
                   
                   


E major Scale                    
                   
E    -    F#    -    G#   
                   
B    -    C#    -    D#   
                   
-    G#    A           
                   
-    D#    E    -    F#   
                   
A    -    B    -    C#   
                   
E    -    F#    -    G#

johncross21's Website

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

Re: Open Scale shapes

What I think you will discover as you practice is that those "five new patters" are really just "five patterns" and what you have been playing all along fits neatly into one of those.

Good luck with the fingerpicking.  Mine sucks!

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

jerome.oneil's Website

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

Re: Open Scale shapes

Thanks Jerome

you are right. The open shape patterns are truncated on the left and extended to the right but otherwise they follow the same shapes as the "CAGED" patterns. if you know your "CAGED" scale shapes well, learning the open note scale shapes is a little easier.

open chord scale shapes are in principle playable all over the neck if you alter the fingerings. however I think that the CAGED shapes are more useful when playing up the neck because there is never more than a 4 fret stretch and so they slightly easier to play.

j

johncross21's Website

  • From: Probably Somewhere
  • Registered: 2010-12-09
  • Posts: 2,446

Re: Open Scale shapes

FYI those are also a minor, e minor, b minor, F# minor, and C# minor, in that order.

Also the 'improviser's wet dream' dorian and mixolydian scales. In order we have
D A E B and F# dorian, and

G D A E B mixolydian.

  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: Open Scale shapes

Very interesting discussion!

After 45 years of playing, I'm finally going to start classical guitar lessons in a few weeks, and learn the music theory that I'm badly lacking. My sense is that I have a bunch of bad habits, and have become little more than a decent parrot when it comes to playing. Although I've been told I'm fairly good, I don't know the WHY of music, i.e., why certain note combos work together, why other combos don't, how the various scale shapes work together, how to read music, etc.

  • From: Probably Somewhere
  • Registered: 2010-12-09
  • Posts: 2,446

Re: Open Scale shapes

Are you learning theory from the classical instructor or two different teachers?

  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: Open Scale shapes

Both from the same person. He's a music professor at a local university, and also a guitar teacher ... two for the price of one!