Scales

[wylde1919]

If I may be so bold as to jump in the deep end here and dogpaddle with the Olympic swimmers....

If you havent done it already, the MOST important thing you can do is to learn and commit to memory exactly where every note on the fretboard is. This will make learning the scales infintely more easy, and relating the scales to the progession more simplified. I played for a few years, and struggled to memorize scales (generally learning "patterns" rather than the scale itself) before I sat down over the course of 1 week and learned the entire fretboard map (one string per day, don't make it hard on yourself!! ). I have been able to learn scales, rather than memorize patters, ever since then.

Second most important thing you can do..........

HAVE FUN!!!!!

I'd say thats actually GOld medal advice

[Snork]

i agree that is so true. If you learn the fretboard and then learn the names of the notes in the scales. lol you've got everything in the bag. unfortunaly i do not have the board memorized. it pisses me off. it is possibly the most important skill to have on guitar.

[hy_dro66]

I must say. Reading through this topic was very interesting. I get a kick out of everyone having a different take on the scales. It's a subject I love to learn about and chat about. So if I may add a few things...

First I think most of the stuff you've read you can count as truth. Memorizing the neck is first. Most guys who memorize scales first, skip this step(like I) and gradually(over years and years)learn the notes. But if you do it initially it's actually less painful. Learning the five major scale positions is great as well. But I would also recommended learning the following info along with those patterns...

Each major scale can also be represented using modal harmony...example

This is the C major scale:

C D E F G A B

C major scale written as Chords

C E G B (Cmaj7)

D F A C (Dminor7)

E G B D (Eminor7)

F A C E (Fmaj7)

G B D F (Gdom7)

A C E G (Aminor7)

B D F A (Bminor7flat5)

Notice that the chords are starting with each degree of the scale and playing every other note from that point. This chord pattern is the same for every major scale. So every chord starting on the 1 of a scale is Major every chord starting on 2 is minor and so on. All that to say that if you memorize the major scale patterns and can arpeggiate each degree of the scale forwards and backwards, you will be a guitar monster. A few had said early in the discussion about notes being unstable and wanting to resolve which is a great reason to know arpeggios. If you know what major scales Dminor7 is in(Cmajor, Bflat Major, Fmajor), then you all the notes in those scales to play and you'll have tons of Dminor7 arpeggios to resolve to. If it doesn't make sense then write out all the major scales as I did with the C major scale and it will click.

I know that I'm rambling now but one last thought. If you learn the minor pentatonic scale in it's five positions you will have a great tool for not only playing typical cliche rock and blues riffs but for outstanding outside the box ideas. If you take G7 for example...you can play the typical G minor pentatonic, but you can also move up a half step and play that minor pentatonic or play it a minor third up from G or play it a whole step down from G. You can't stay on them for 2 measures or anything but the are great as extensions and for creating tension that makes resolution so sweet. Try playing a cliche riff in Gm pentatonic move up to G#m pentatonic and play it again, move up to A#m pentatonic play it again, then resolve. If this can be done clean and smooth and the resolve is clever you'll be turnin' heads.

I learned from an Indian man once that in vocal yoga they learn that modes do not like sharing notes and that each one has it's own set of notes it calls it's own. So in theory my theory is out the window. Peace.