# I Want To Learn Scales



## Canadian Charlie (Apr 30, 2008)

I'm ashamed to say that I don't know any scales. I never really bothered to learn any and the ones I was taught when I was 14 I forgot more than 25 years ago. 



So here I am, my head hanging in shame and me asking (OK begging) you all what are the basic scales to learn. If anyone can post some diagrams that will also help





I'm not worthy :bow::bow::bow::bow:


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

I posted this in the other thread where you mentioned scales: http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/guitar_scales.php

You need the major scale. Then make sure you know about relative (start on the 6th) vs. parallel minor: basically just flattened 3, 6 and 7.
Harmonic minor is useful.
The pentatonics are always good for rock and blues.


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## Canadian Charlie (Apr 30, 2008)

Thanks, I just had a look at that site and its a little confussing to me at the major scale

The box with the pattern confusses me, is it full, 1, 2, 3, 4, pattern?

What about the box next to it that says chords? C, Csharp, D?


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## Canadian Charlie (Apr 30, 2008)

Did a quick search on YOU TUBE and came accross this.....


I----------------------------------------------------
I----------------------------------------------------
I----------------------------------------------------
I------------------1--2------------------------------
I--------0--2--4-------------------------------------
0--2--4----------------------------------------------

Is this a Major scale and what is it called?

Are scales in 8 notes?

:smilie_flagge17:


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## nezumi (Nov 1, 2008)

scales.....if you know the notes on your neck, this is not hard at all.

the major scales:

key of C - C D E F G A B C
key of G - C D E *F#* G A B C
key of D - *C#* D E *F# *G A B *C#*
key of A - *C#* D E *F# **G#* A B *C#*
key of E - *C#* *D# *E *F# **G#* A B *C#*
key of B - *C#* *D# *E *F# **G#* *A#* B *C#*
key of F - *C#* *D# **E#* *F# **G#* *A#* B *C#*

good place to start.
if your song is in the key of C, all of those notes will sound 'right'. 

more later, when time permits.


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

I'm no expert, but learn all the notes on the neck. Backwards forwards, upside down etc. There are LOTS of good books on the subject. I personally am enjoying a "theory" book that it taught entirely in Tab Form. It's called The Totally Interactive Guitar Bible & Chapters has it. 

http://www.amazon.com/Totally-Interactive-Guitar-Bible-Hunter/dp/1592236731

It has some really great excersises that will have you learn particular scales (Blues, rock ect) and then will give you little lead lessons with that scale. Like I said, All in tab (The Bowties will hate that), But as long as you know your notes it will get you going. 

But heck I'm part of the "I'm not going on tour and I don't take requests" crowd.

As A bonus it coumes with a great DVD of the History of the electric quitar and a cd of the excersises so you can hear if you're doing it right.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

Paul said:


> As you have notated them, you have ONE major scale, C. The others are written as various modes of major scales, (the key of G major has the note G as a tonic, not the note C, the same idea holds true for all of your other scales), and the last one in your list should be F#. You've also omitted C# major, and all of the major scales using flats.
> 
> The comment "...if your song is in the key of C, all of those notes will sound 'right'" is a gross over simplification at best, and incorrect at worst.


Did I just hear a ruler thwack on the desk there? 
Paul's channelling Sister Mary Stigmata, the harmonic-playing nun, again...


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## nezumi (Nov 1, 2008)

of course Paul has a point there about modes, and I got in a hurry to get the kids on the bus, so I left out the F# and C#.

and my fingers did smart a little, but i've had worse. :wink:

i was just pointing towards a pattern.

people learn in different ways. Sometimes a certain explanation will make sense to some and not others. This is especially true in cyber-space where we all come in with different levels of musical understanding. Some guys come in knowing little more than a few open chords and I-IV-V, without knowing their relationship to each other.

I'm going to go do my nails again, that WAS fresh polish.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

This is a good thread though. I'm one of those just-enough-theory-to-get-started kinda players. I need to learn more...


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Ok

Fair

Seen the link before, and yea, it confuses the snot-boojums out of me too. 

(here I sound the total n00b that I am :bow

What about actually tuning the guitar to a different scale? The standard is well documented, lots of charts, what string sounds the same as what string etc and there are loads of 20 dollar electric tuners out there and more tuning forks at 440hz than you can shake Liberace at, but if you are trying to tune your 6th string to Db you're out of luck with those gizmo's.

So, how do you set about actually tuning your guitar to be in a different scale?


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

keeperofthegood said:


> if you are trying to tune your 6th string to Db you're out of luck with those gizmo's.
> So, how do you set about actually tuning your guitar to be in a different scale?


Might be misundertanding the question, but a decent chromatic tuner should be able to do that. I have an ancient Boss TU-12 and it can happily handle C1 (32.70 Hz) to B5 (987.77 Hz), well within the range of anything a guitar can be tuned to without the strings just falling off. or there is Paul's method too. 
Read a thing years ago Slash was playing with ... someone old school can't remember who... and he asked for a tuner. Oldschool dude said something like "Ain't you got ears in there boy?"


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## Canadian Charlie (Apr 30, 2008)

What is this scale called? 

So far I'm just trying to learn this one and the one I posted before. Then I will try and learn a couple of more

I---------------------------------0-1-3----
I-------------------------0-1-3-----------
I--------------------0-2------------------
I-------------0-2-3-----------------------
I------0-2-3-------------------------------
0-1-3-------------------------------------


Yes I'm using standard tuning



:smilie_flagge17:


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## Canadian Charlie (Apr 30, 2008)

Paul said:


> E Phrygian. That's the 3rd mode of C major.







*I thaught it was C Major, you're pretty good at knowing these scales. 

What would be a good book to buy that has the scales in tab form? I was thinking of this one "The Original Guitar Case SCALE BOOK" I have the chord version of it and its usefull *


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Canadian Charlie said:


> *I thaught it was C Major, you're pretty good at knowing these scales.
> 
> What would be a good book to buy that has the scales in tab form? I was thinking of this one "The Original Guitar Case SCALE BOOK" I have the chord version of it and its usefull *


The notes given are the notes of C major in the open position, so if you actually start on C and ascend/descend to C it'll be C major. The way it's originally posted, it starts on E and ascends to G, so it's not really defined very well. I get pretty tired of explaining to my own students that if they define the scale by starting and ending on the tonic (not root, that's best applied to chords), their ear will more easily regard the key accurately. This is an area of music which is very poorly served by internet and dvd lessons.

Peace, Mooh.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

I found that a pictorial of the guitar neck outlining the various scale "shapes" was the easiest way for me to learn scales....I first memorized the shapes (Pentatonic, Major and Minor) for each position on the neck.....learning why they were that shape came later...I found doing it this way prepared you for seeing the neck in a mapped way when looking for that lead note to play for that song in whatever key

There's a million neck pictures out there on the o'l interweb....just google it.


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

I like this thread. 

Just to throw in my $0.015 (2 cents, adjusted for current currency value) I've seen some guys memorize a lot of scales but still not know how to use them. If you've played for a long time without learning scales then you probably have a good ear for knowing when to play stuff. Keep that up as you add more scales to the mix. Each time you learn a new one make sure to also learn what chords it goes well with and spend some time improvising with it. Memorizing the shape is just one part of the process.


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## wkriski (Nov 18, 2008)

*Focus on shapes and chord tones*

I taught and practiced scales for years but when I went back to college to study jazz I realized that practicing the scales/modes and other exercises don't automatically lead you to soloing over changes.

I now focus on the 5 CAGED shapes of the major scale and relate everything to that. It helps students to focus on small shapes. But they need to know the note function of each note of the chord. So other than the obvious chord tones, what other notes they should be playing.

Also, scalar exercises tend to lead to scalar lines. Way too many guitarists use scalar lines, so focusing on chord tones via triads, arpeggios gets them out of that rut.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

wkriski said:


> I now focus on the 5 CAGED shapes of the major scale and relate everything to that. It helps students to focus on small shapes. But they need to know the note function of each note of the chord. So other than the obvious chord tones, what other notes they should be playing.
> 
> Also, scalar exercises tend to lead to scalar lines. Way too many guitarists use scalar lines, so focusing on chord tones via triads, arpeggios gets them out of that rut.


Now _that_ sounds useful. I get a feeling for what you're saying -- any more details and/or links please? I'm a terrible seat of the pants player that way.


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## wkriski (Nov 18, 2008)

*more info on soloing*

@devnulljp - I teach those ideas at my website (see the signature link below my post) if you want to learn more. It's a passion of mine to clear up all the confusion that is out there.

I've spent a lot of time absorbing all the material out there to come up with the simplest approach to teaching soloing that I could.

With all the discussion of modes and scales some have forgotten that chords progressions are just a series of triads (or larger in some cases like jazz) that change over time. Some won't agree and that's fine but practicing modes and scales alone (especially starting from the root) is not going to enable you to solo over changes.


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## brlamc (Dec 23, 2008)

Start with the Pentatonic scales you can't go wrong there. Then move to the major scales and the modes, finally try the more exotic scales like harmonic minor.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

lol what's exotic about a minor scale?


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## brlamc (Dec 23, 2008)

If your just learning scales the harmonic minor would be the next step after Major and Pentatonic Of course there are other ones like the Hungarian Minor, Japanese, Spanish, Gypsy, etc.. It was just an example. All depends on the type of music you want to play.


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