All About Scales.
For Guitar Players.
In this article and guitar lesson all about scales you'll learn the truth about them along with the harm they can sometimes cause. "Harm?" -- you exclaim as you think about all the "gurus" and guitar methods that would have you believe that learning all about scales is the Holy Grail. This is not so -- and although learning and memorizing some scale patterns should be a fundamental part of every serious guitar player's practice, they are only a part of the picture. in the following article I will so my best to open up your eyes and ears to a new perspective of learning and mastering guitar. Because it's certainly NOT all about scales ;-)
The Pros of Learning Scales On Guitar
Memorizing some guitar scales in the beginning is similar to memorizing basic guitar chords. It gets your motor skills running more efficiently, gives your eyes visual patterns on the guitar fretboard and gets your ears to become more familiar with the gravitational "pull" of the tonal centre -- or key. After a basic skill level is reached, the budding guitarist can choose to use scales as a way of improving technique. Usually this is associated with alternate picking and speed. That's why playing fast all the time loses any of the exciting impact it had at first. Because you can only play something fast when it's mechanical. In other words, you've played it thousands of times. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's a big part of playing musical instruments. Developing muscle memory, etc. However, this is where many practicing guitarists can get trapped.
The Cons of Learning Scales On Guitar
At some point, guitar players want to play melodic lines and improvise or create guitar solos. If they are relying on the scale patterns they have learned, their musical imagination will be stifled. Why is this? This is because the scales move in steps. Even if you play a sequence in 3rds or in note groups of 3 or 4, it will be scalar sounding. This is a useful DEVICE when leading into new musical phrases for example, but many guitar players get stuck with scales and technique. They never allow simple but beautiful musical melodies to enter their playing. It's become all about scales! Music -- in this case -- melody, harmony and rhythm -- needs to breathe to flow to laugh to skip to cry! The most famous melodies that have survived through time are usually based on chord tones. But they are also decorated with non chord tones and also extremely strong rhythmically. By this I mean that even if someone were to tap Happy Birthday on your leg rhythmically you would have a decent chance of guessing it correctly. I know, I know -- not the most beautiful melody in history, but a strong example nonetheless.
The Middle Road of Guitar Scales
We've established that it's not all about scales. But lets not throw out the sink with the bathwater! Spend some serious time and woodshed some scales. Memorize some patterns on your guitar fretboard! Just don't stay there forever! Start applying the scales to the music you want to play. Or any music at all! How? It depends what level you're at. If you're just beginning guitar, the E minor pentatonic scale or A minor pentatonic scale would be excellent choices. Any basic blues tune or lots of classic rock tunes will allow you to get a feel for creating guitar solos using these scales. For the key of E minor pentatonic try a 12 bar blues in the key of E. Record the following chord progression -- a bare bones 12 bar blues in E -- and jam along: E or E7 for 4 bars A7 for 2 bars E or E7 for 2 bars B7 for one bar A7 for one bar E or E7 for one bar B7 for one bar Or if you love classic rock, try jamming along to Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix. If you need more information on this, click here for a minor pentatonic scale lesson. It includes a guitar lesson video along with free downloadable guitar scale charts. If you're more advanced and you've got your scales memorized -- perhaps even in 12 keys all over the neck! -- (maybe even melodic minor scales or harmonic minor scales,) -- and you feel like it's all about scales, I would suggest starting with the Caged System. This will teach you how to practice finding the sweet chord notes to a song and to develop your ear and finger connections more strongly. Pick a song you're working on and stay in one area of the fretboard. Find the chord tones. Name them out loud. Root, ma3rd, etc. Then find the corresponding pentatonic scale. Name the tones -- Root, 2, 3, 5, 6 -- if it's major pentatonic for example. Then play the full 7 note scale -- whether a mode of the major scale, or harmonic or melodic minor. Tip: Try playing the melodies to "cheesy" songs in different areas of the fretboard. Not so easy, is it? Of course, you'll need to be able to hum or sing the tune before you can find it on your guitar. When it's all about scales -- and unfortunately, that is sometimes the way guitar is taught -- it's easy to get stuck in a rut. Even when you can play your scales, they don't mean anything in and of themselves. If you don't know whether you're on a Root or a non-chord tone at some level -- you're just playing mindlessly. Of course if someone plays for a long enough time and records themselves often, they will gradually find these strong notes and resolutions with the guidance of their musical ear as it unfolds. That's why transcribing guitar solos by ear or sitting down and composing your own solos are such valuable exercises. And don't forget to record some of your improvisations so you can listen back! Scales are simply a mechanical model of how music works. They are notes in a row. They can make a convenient learning aid, but don't get trapped and believe it's all about scales!
Further Reading and Study Minor Pentatonic Scales Melodic Minor Scales Harmonic Minor Scales Caged System
Thanks for tuning in and tuning up! Dave Yeager
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