Guitar scales for beginners principle. Learning Guitar from Scratch: Minor Scale

Gamma- this is a sequence of sounds within an octave, coming from the fundamental tone at certain intervals. Now for an explanation.

Octave- this is part of the sound series, consisting of 7 main and 5 altered notes.

Base tone- this is the main note of the scale, from which the scale is built and with which it ends.

Intervals- this means intervals of a tone or semitone. On a guitar fretboard, the 1st fret is a semitone.

Raising a note by half a tone is a shift of 1 fret towards the body of the guitar.

Lowering a note by half a tone is a shift of 1 fret towards the headstock.

What are scales for? Scales were invented to develop the technique of playing a musical instrument. No matter what instrument you learn to play, you will have to play scales - without this, learning will be less effective. The scales have the following features:

1. Develop stretching of the fingers of the left hand
2. Develop a sense of the fingerboard in the left hand
3. Develop independence of finger actions in the right hand
4. Develop hearing
5. Develop a sense of rhythm

Features of the game scales

Any scale must be played not just like that, but following a number of rules:

• in the right hand it is necessary to play by alternating fingers: index-middle, best by playing with a support, when the finger hits the string and rests on the next higher string;
• you need to play loudly and clearly;
• You should strive to make equal spaces between adjacent sounds;
• the fingers of the left hand should press the string as close to the frets as possible, as this develops stretching;
• the finger of the right hand must produce a sound simultaneously with the fret of the finger of the left hand, and in no case after a pause after the finger has been fretted;
• you need to try to give the game of scales a dynamic coloring, as if it were a simple piece of music;

How to play a scale

The scale can be played in different ways. You can play it slowly, thinking through every action of your left and right hands, or you can play it at speed. You can play the scale in triplets. As you have already read, you need to alternate strikes with the index and middle finger of your right hand all the time. Every third blow can be isolated, that is, it will be like this: THERE-there-there-THAM-there-there... This very well develops the independence of the actions of the fingers of the right hand, because every third blow falls on different fingers. But at the same time, it is important to monitor the speed of the game - it should not change.

What are the types of scales and how to build them

Each range has its own name. It is called by the name of the note from which it is built. For example, there is a scale in G major or, for example, in C minor. If a scale begins with the note SALT, then it must end with the note SALT and nothing else.

Major scales are built according to the following principle: take the initial note, let it be the note SA, and then from it, according to the law of constructing a major scale, a scale is built. The law of construction is a certain sequence of intervals between the notes of the scale.

Minor scales are built on the same principle as major scales, only the law of construction for them will look different.

Playing scales not only helps improve your hearing, playing technique, fingerboard orientation, and finger stretching, but also allows you to acquire phrasing skills, which are very useful when playing and composing solo parts. The peculiarity of the structure of the guitar scale allows you to perform the same scale from a given note according to different schemes. For example, an octave major scale can be played using four patterns, each with its own advantages.

The basis of any scale is the mode - one of the most important concepts in the musical system. A mode is a series of sounds located relative to each other at certain intervals. The most common seven-step scales are major and minor.

When using a piano, the major scale is obtained when playing on the white keys from the note C (C), and the minor scale is obtained when playing on the white keys from the note A (A). Having looked at the intervals between adjacent keys, it is easy to remember the intervallic composition of the natural major scale:

b.2+b.2+m.2+b.2 +b.2+b.2+m.2 or more simply bbmbbbm

and natural minor mode:

b.2+m.2+b.2+b.2 +m.2+b.2+b.2 or simpler bmbbbmbb

There are no landmarks on the fretboard like the white and black keys, but there is a second string that is great as a basis for recalling intervals, chords, and scales. First, you need to visually mark it, and then mentally remember this marking (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. Visual marking of notes on the second string.

The result is a visual system reminiscent of the system of black and white piano keys, but unlike the latter, groups of steps with the same intervallic structure from the notes C and G (highlighted by a dotted frame) are clearly visible on the fingerboard. This will allow you to change positions for playing scales not only from the first degrees of the scale, but also from the fifth.

As you remember, the tones included in triads are functional tones that have their own names. The sounds of modes (and, accordingly, scales) also have functionality and have their own names. Often guitarists think of scales as a sequence of sounds that must be memorized and then played accurately and as quickly as possible. If you want to understand what constructions in music are based on, how to build harmonic turns and squares, why this chord is played after one chord and not that one, and much more, then from the very beginning perceive scales as functional system sounds.

The root note of a chord is prima, and fret (scales) - tonic. The tonic is not just the first sound of the scale, it is first fret step and fret support, relative to which everything else is built. Here we can give an analogy with the solar system: the tonic is the sun around which the planets of the solar system revolve - the remaining sounds of the scale. Mode theory is not covered in this lesson, but you can get acquainted with it in our theory course.

So we can play the major scale from the note before on the second string in white tones, and A minor - in white tones from la(playing above the 12th fret on an electric guitar is not particularly difficult). At this moment we need to stop and comprehend it: knowing the visual pattern of the arrangement of tones of the major scale, we can play the minor scale parallel to it (located a minor third below) using the same template, adding two sounds from below, as shown in Fig. 1. This is precisely what the playing of scales in boxes is based on, when you remember not some specific construction of a scale in a specific position (as you have to do when playing the piano), but in a box - a template diagram for playing scales within 5- 7 frets.

Most often, scales are played on several strings:

• without changing position:
  • within one position (four adjacent tones)
  • within one extended position (five adjacent tones)
• with change of position:
  • slight position shift within the box
• outside boxing

Let's look at the positions for playing the natural major scale (Fig. 2). They are given taking into account the possibility of playing in one position.

Rice. 2. Schemes and fingerings for playing the major scale within an octave.

Comparing these schemes allows you to find a lot of interesting things.

Option 1:

• Playing in one position
• The location of sounds relative to the first one is more on the right
• Uses three strings

Option 2a:

• The game occurs with a correction of position when playing sounds 7 and 8. We can say that here there is a transition from a position to an extended position when playing sounds 7 and 8.
• The location of the sounds relative to the first is on the left
• Uses four strings
• Each string has a different combination of adjacent tones.
• The upper octave sound is difficult to determine

Option 2b is an improved version of the previous option.

Option 3:

• Playing in one extended position
• The location of sounds relative to the first one is on the right
• Uses three strings
• The two strings have the same combination of adjacent tones.
• The upper octave sound is easy to identify

Option 1 is convenient when playing bass guitar. In an extended position it will be very difficult (or impossible) to play scales on wide frets. Variation 3 requires good finger stretch to play, but it is the easiest of all to remember. Option 2a is the most difficult of all: 4 strings are used, different options for the arrangement of tones on the strings, changing positions to play sounds 7 and 8. When using options 2a and 2b, the scale using all the strings in the box will be shorter compared to options 1 and 3.

The major scale can be played left and right. Right-handed variations have an advantage when playing scales of several octaves.

When playing scales, it is extremely important to use the correct fingering from the very beginning. If the stretch of the fingers is weak, then you constantly want to pinch the string with a more comfortable finger and replace it with the one indicated on the fingering. It is difficult to play in a position that is unaccustomed to, and the left hand tries to rearrange the position of the fingers so that it is comfortable. This leads to errors and stutters in the game. Ineffective fingering and unwillingness to work on playing in position are a powerful inhibitor when playing the guitar. Often a guitarist cannot play a phrase or riff quickly and accurately, not because his fingers are not moving, but because he is playing with the wrong fingers or has not mastered playing in position. As a result, months and years pass without any qualitative improvement. Playing the guitar all your life is wonderful, but not being able to play anything on it all your life is too uninteresting and boring!

From Fig. 2 it can be seen that when playing on one string, the sounds are arranged in three main positional combinations:

• two sounds next to the left
• two sounds next to each other on the right
• sounds through fret

Sounds across the scale - major second (b.2), sounds nearby - minor second (m.2)

Memorizing these positional combinations helps you quickly navigate the game and make it easier to remember the game. When memorizing a part at the level of individual sounds, an excessive thought process occurs. You need to understand how the sounds are located relative to each other and give the command to your fingers to first play this sound, then another, etc. When working at the level of positional combinations, this process is optimized. Sometimes you can observe the following picture: a guitarist is shown playing a scale for an octave, but he cannot remember it and play it accurately. This happens not only because he did not play it, but also because he saw the scale on the fretboard as an incomprehensible sequence of sounds, and not positional combinations.

When using positional combinations, the scheme for playing a major scale can be formulated as follows:

we play in a position across the fret, two on the left, two on the right

For greater clarity, the algorithm can be formulated as follows:

first, we pinch the second sound on the tonic string across the fret from it, then we move to the previous string and play two sounds in a position next to each other, and the third across the fret, then we move to the previous string and play two sounds across the fret, and the third next to the second sound

Awareness of the second formulation will be an order of magnitude slower than the first. The improvisation will end until you understand what needs to be done. The shorter the formulation of the algorithm, the faster it can be put into action. Hence the structure of natural major bbbbbbm, but not b.2+b.2+m.2 etc. or even longer - major second plus major second plus minor second etc. It is logical to assume that, all other things being equal, optimizer programmers have an easier time playing the guitar than users. Not always, because often optimization occurs in the wrong direction and instead of simple and understandable, it turns out to be complex and clumsy.

Remember, in Fig. 1, areas with the same interval structure were highlighted by a frame? They are also clearly visible when playing scales in position (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. Areas with the same interval structure.

It is easy to see that there are several patterns of intervallic fragments consisting of four sounds. An octave scale consists of two such fragments.

Option 3 is interesting because it allows you to clearly see the difference in the intervallic structure of the beginning of the major and minor scales:

bb mbbbm - major
bm bbmbb - minor

If we play the intervals b.2+b.2 from the tonic, then we automatically go into major, if we play the intervals b.2+m.2, then we go into minor. In practice, the game often takes place in parallel keys - natural major and harmonic minor (the seventh degree is raised by a semitone). In this case, the scales will differ only in the structure of one block (Fig. 4).

Rice. 4. The difference between natural major and harmonic minor.

If we compare the construction of these scales according to the schemes of options 1 and 2, then we will not see such clarity. Visualization is an advantage of the Option 3 scheme.

Option 2a (Fig. 3) looks like the most losing of all. Can I refuse it? There's no need to rush. It is useful to play in all variations.

Option 1: Basic playing in a position that is suitable for honing bass riffs.

Option 2. Work on the ligaments with the little finger.

Options 2b. Working on the ligaments with the little finger and stretching the fingers.

Options 3. Stretching the fingers, moving from major to minor and vice versa.

Options 2a and 2b, unlike 1 and 3, allow you to work on playing different triads and seventh chords, and options 1, 2b and 3 on playing scales in the full barre position, which will also be useful in the future.

Let's see what happens when playing a scale of two octaves (Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Positions for playing a major scale for two octaves.

Variants of octave schemes are combined. You can change the pattern from tonic (Fig. 6) or from fifth (Fig. 7).

Rice. 6. Change of position on the tonic.

Rice. 7. Change of position on the fifth.

To get a complete chord template from which to derive the rest, we chose a chord that builds on all strings. To determine the complete scheme for playing a scale, it is not enough to build it from the sixth string. You need to “scroll” it vertically to see the situation when the tonic is positioned on different strings. This technique helps, in particular, to easily build all positions of the pentatonic scale, if some of them have been forgotten visually or at the level of the fingers, and selecting it by ear causes difficulties.

It is logical to choose the most understandable option 3.

Rice. 8. Boxes for the natural major scale.

And why do we need this color music? These are boxes. Boxing can mean different schemes, and it is advisable to clarify what is meant when talking about them. In this case, a box means the following: imagine that a box is a box 6 frets wide, which contains all the possible tones of the scale, comfortable to play. That is, the box shows not a scale starting from the tonic and ending with an octave repetition of the tonic, but Lots of easy-to-play sounds scales, among which, naturally, there is a tonic. Depending on which string the tonic is on, one or another version of boxing is played.

Tonic is highlighted in red. Identical intervallic combinations on the same string are also highlighted in color:

• blue - adjacent tones across the fret
• pink - adjacent tones on the left
• gray - adjacent tones on the right

Briefly speaking, across the fret, left and right. These combinations, as can be seen from the figure, form blocks. Now you can play the scale from the tonic “on the fly”, remembering the pattern of alternating blocks:

Gamma up - 2 through fret, 2 left, 1 on right, 1 through fret.

Gamma down - 2 through fret, 2 on right, 2 left

Why complicate things so much? Four schemes for playing the major scale, some boxes, blocks, positions? I learned the scale in one position, and that’s enough!

All this is given not to complicate things, but as an example of how guidelines are created when playing the guitar. Each guitarist himself develops guidelines and schemes that help him when playing. You can focus on the position of the tonic, look at intervals, use positions and boxes, look at patterns in constructions, etc. Some will prefer to simply memorize the five positions of the minor pentatonic scale, while others will want to understand how they are obtained in order to build them on the fly. Many guitarists don't use sheet music, but they produce specific parts instead of just moving up and down the pentatonic scale. But in order to play such games, you need to develop a base on the basis of which these games and your own playing style will be built. Without reference points, playing the guitar is like finding your way home, looking only at your feet. It is more practical and much more interesting to raise your head and see, rather than rub your fingers on the strings, pretending to try to remember something that you did not even try to learn.

The boxes shown in Fig. 8 seems too difficult to play due to the extended position, which requires good finger stretch to play. Let's take option 1 and see if we can get easier-to-play boxes from it.

Rice. 9. Boxes based on the scheme of option 1.

From the fifth and fourth strings you have to play in an extended position, and in terms of clarity and simplicity of the block sequence algorithm, these boxes are noticeably inferior to those shown in Fig. 8.

Let's try to change the second and third boxes in Fig. 8 and see the result.

Rice. 10. Optimization of boxes.

Box No. 2 in this picture is significantly different from Box No. 1. If we continue it, we will get boxes like in Fig. 7, except for the position of the tonic. In Fig. 9 it is located on the left in the position one after the other, and in this figure. in the center of a position from neighbors to the left.

Box 3b looks promising, but the fifth string produces something extremely complex.

Conclusion. Convenient and understandable boxes for playing scales cannot be obtained from all possible schemes for playing the same scale.

To better understand the boxes, consider the minor pentatonic scale (Fig. 10).

Rice. 11. Minor pentatonic scale.

Tonic is marked in red. The minor pentatonic scale can be played left and right from one fret. In the figure they are conventionally designated as left-handed and right-handed.

Sometimes the question arises, how to remember all the positions of the pentatonic scale on the fretboard? This is easy to do if you know its structure. To do this, let’s “scroll” the pentatonic scale vertically and see what happens.

Rice. 12. Pentatonic positions.

In total there were 10 different positions (the position from the first string coincides with the sixth and is not taken into account). After comparison, we see that the left-hand and right-hand positions are in octave dependence, and in total there are 5 different positions of the minor pentatonic scale. You can also distinguish the relative location of the pentatonic sounds on the string - across a fret or across two frets. They form blocks that can be used to easily memorize positions: when playing right-handed boxes up, after the tonic string, play 3 through the fret, and down - 3 through the fret after one through two frets.

As an additional guide, you can visually hold the octave diagonals (Fig. 13).

In practice, everything is somewhat more complicated and phrases based on scales are not necessarily played from the tonic and end on it. If the solo part is based on playing chords, then additional guidelines are chord sounds- sounds that are included in the chord sounding at a given moment in time. Which chord to play first and which ones after? We will learn about this in the next lesson, where we will look at harmonic turns - related chord sequences. Good luck!

In this article we will continue to look at the most popular scales, this time it will be natural and harmonic minor.

Natural minor

Natural minor, one of the most common melodic modes. But, despite its prevalence and popularity, it is not as simple as pentatonic or chromatic, which we discussed in detail in the article: learning it will require time and sufficient perseverance.

In the diagram below we show the fingering of the first position of the minor scale in the key of A:

The tonic of this scale is marked in black, Arabic numerals, as usual, mark the finger numbers of the left hand, and Roman numerals at the bottom of the diagram indicate the fret numbers.

As you can see, this scale is quite difficult to master. To begin with, try playing simple ascending and descending passages to get your bearings in the scale and feel it tactilely. Only after learning this position well can you move on to the next one.

As you can see, the diagram above shows the second position of the A minor scale; it is also quite complex and takes time to master.

In the third position you will need a good stretch at the fingers, use this as well as an opportunity to develop your left hand.

The fourth position is quite simple, but you should not rush, give it enough time.

If you have already learned the first four positions, then you should not have any problems with the fifth, however, note that it is located around the 12th fret and will require sufficient accuracy for a clean performance.

Notice that the sixth position is at the beginning of the fretboard.

Harmonic minor

Having become familiar with the natural minor, you can move on to another variation of it - the harmonic minor.

The positions of the harmonic minor are similar to the positions of the natural. Therefore, there should be no problems with their development. Below we present their fingerings in the key of A.

First position

Second position

Third position

Fourth position

Fifth position

The black circles in this diagram indicate the main notes of the scale, and the circles with an asterisk indicate the tonic notes.

As we can see, the main difference between the harmonic minor is the raised seventh step, this was done so that the resolution of the imbalance into the abutment would be as unnoticeable as possible. But you can read about additional steps in other scales in the article:

This scale is one of the most common in modern music, and it is imperative to learn it. However, so as not to be boring, let's complicate the ascending and descending passages a little.

Learning the harmonic minor scale

Example 1

This example is based on a descending and ascending movement in the scale, but what distinguishes it from ordinary passages is its jazz sound, in this manner you can play in any position of the scale.

Example 2

This example is also based on descending and ascending movements, however, it is more complex than the first and has a pronounced jazz flavor; it can also be played in all positions.

Faces of harmonic minor

However, having understood the exercises and become well accustomed to the positions, I would like to take away something useful for improvisation from the scale. It is more than possible to do this. Below we will give several examples in jazz style, with the indicated chord progressions. You can learn more about what guitar licks are from the article:

Example 1

This melodic line, due to the Am7 chord, sounds quite tense at the beginning, but when moving to G major it is resolved.
Play this example first with a metronome at a slow rhythm, after which you can add accompaniment and increase the speed.

Example 2

This lick is primarily distinguished by rather complex chords for beginners and the not very popular use of the harmonic minor. However, with a little understanding of the accompaniment, a rather interesting phrase may appear in your arsenal, which can be used to decorate not only jazz improvisation.

Example 3

A simple face, both in terms of the melodic line and accompaniment, but at the same time it sounds quite interesting, which once again suggests that everything ingenious is simple.

Conclusion

The harmonic minor is a truly magnificent scale; with its help you can not only play jazz, but also popular music, as you can see for yourself by watching this video.

This article is about how to play harmonic minor on the guitar. And it mostly consists of practical exercises. However, before we start playing the scale, let's understand its structure.

Formula

So, the harmonic minor is a type of minor scale. Its formula is as follows:

1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7

That is, its difference from the natural minor scale lies only in the seventh (seventh degree). For example:

Natural minor from the sound A (A):

A (la) - B (si) - C (do) - D (re) - E (mi) - F (fa) - G (sol)

Harmonic minor from the sound A (A):

A (la) - B (si) - C (do) - D (re) - E (mi) - F (fa) - G# (g sharp)

Using this pattern, you can “transform” a natural minor scale, built from any sound, into a harmonic minor. In relation to A minor, this is replacing G with G#.

The harmonic minor scale is used to play with minor, major, half-diminished chords, and dominant seventh chords.

We will consider the option of playing with the dominant using this mode in the key of A minor.

That is, let's play an A minor harmonic scale on the guitar on the chord E (E major).

For an example of using this approach and fret boxes, which we will discuss later in the article, see this video:

Another notable feature of the harmonic minor scale is that if it is built from the tonic of the dominant (in this case E), it takes on the “shape” of the Phrygian major mode, or Spanish major:

1 b2 3 4 5 b6 b7

Phrygian major from E:

E (mi) - F (fa) - G# (g sharp) - A (la) - B (si) - C (do) - D (re)

This version of playing the dominant is used in their solos by guitarists playing in various musical styles: Yngwie Malmsteen, George Bellas, John Mclaughlin, Al Di Meola and many others.

The mode is easily identified by ear due to its colorful oriental sound.

Boxes

The box fingering is based on the “three notes on a string” principle. In the video, the scale is played with variable strokes, but you can use any other method of sound production. For example, sweep (formula down-up-down + down-up-down, etc.) or hammer/pul (legato).

Please note that the boxes use extended fingering, so you need to “warm up” your fingers first.

The scale can be played with a metronome or with a backing track over an E chord, as shown in the video.

It is worth noting that playing with a harmonic lining is much more useful in terms of ear development and improvisational skills.

Each box ends with a sustained chord sound(in this case E major). That is, in some positions, at the end of the downward movement, a repeated “return” to the tonic (E), third (G#) or fifth (B) of E major is performed. Accordingly, the degrees of the mode are considered in relation to the dominant.

A backing track for playing a harmonic minor on a guitar and a minus track for improvising on the E chord (which was heard in the video), tabs can be

(from b2 - second lower stage E)

Check out the location of fret sounds on the fretboard:

Now disassemble the “finger”. Next to each note there is a finger of the left hand with which you need to press it.

As mentioned above, playback ends not with the first (lowest) note of the F box, but with G# - the reference tone (third of E major).

(from stage 4 E)

We finish playing the scale on note B (5th degree of the E chord)

(from 5th degree - fifths E)

(from level 6)

In the last measure we return to the tonic E.

(from the 7th degree - sevenths)

(from stage 1 - tonics)

1. If you have a hard time mastering tablature or you prefer to master fingering visually, watch the second part of the video posted at the beginning of the article. But set your Youtube player to play in slow motion. Learn more about how this setup is performed.
2. The scale can be played on any minus and other chords for which it is suitable (for example, the A minor harmonic can be played on Fmaj7). It all depends on the specific tasks.
3. Study the boxes sequentially. Don't rush to cover all the material in one or two lessons.
4. When all the boxes are already well enough studied, they can be played one by one, gradually moving along the fingerboard as shown in the training video.
5. The scale is played in eighth notes (two notes per beat). In the future, you can play it in sixteenth notes or triplets.
6. Play the given boxes in other keys. For example, transpose the studied material into the key of D minor and try to play its dominant - the A7 chord.
7. In your guitar improvisations, combine the harmonic minor with other scales (pentatonic, blues scale, natural minor) and arpeggios, focusing on the harmonic sequence (chords of a song, instrumental composition).

All! The first part of the lesson has come to an end. Successful and fruitful guitar lessons to you! In the second part we will look at the diagonal fingerings of the harmonic minor -.

Scales are instrumental part of any musical repertoire. They form key template elements for musical composition and improvisation in almost any style and genre. Taking the time to master the most basic scales is what separates an average musician from a great master. Luckily, when it comes to guitar, learning scales usually comes down to memorizing simple patterns through constant practice.

Steps

Part 1

Already have some basic knowledge of music theory? Then go directly to the scales by clicking.

1. Learn to read a guitar fretboard. On a guitar, the front, long, thin part where you rest your fingers is called the neck. Convex metal sills on the fretboard divide it into frets. Scales are obtained by playing notes in different combinations of modes, so it is important to be able to distinguish between them:

   • Frets are numbered from the head of the guitar towards the body. For example, the topmost saddle at the head of a guitar is first fret(or "fret 1"), the next fret is second fret, and so on.
   • Pressing a string at a specific fret and striking that string above the body of the guitar plays the corresponding note. The closer the frets are to the body of the guitar, the higher the notes.
   • The dots on the frets are used to remember fret positions - they make it easy to remember where you press your fingers without having to constantly count the frets from the head of the guitar.

2. Learn the names of the notes on the fretboard. Each fret on a guitar plays a note that has its own name. Luckily, there are only 12 notes in total - the names just keep repeating. The notes you can play are below. Keep in mind that some notes have two different names:

   • A (A), A-sharp/B-flat (A#/Bb), B (B), C (C), C-sharp/D-flat (C#/Db), D (D), D-sharp/ E-flat (D#/Eb), E (E), F (F), F-sharp/G-flat (F#/Gb), G (G), G-sharp/A-flat (G#/Ab). After this, the notes are repeated again, starting with A.
   • Learning the positions of different notes is not something very difficult, but it does take some time to cover in this article.

3. Learn the names of the strings. You you can refer to different strings by calling them "the thickest, the second thickest", and so on, but it is much easier to talk about scales if you know their actual names. In addition, this is also useful, since the strings are named according to the note they play when no fret is pressed. On a regular six-string guitar with standard tuning, the strings are named as follows:

   • mi(the thickest)
   • salt
   • mi(the thinnest one) - note that this string has the same name as the thickest one, so some people call them the “low” and “high” E to distinguish them.

4. Explore the concept of tones and halftones in scales. Simply put, a scale is simply a sequence of notes that sound pleasant when played in order. When you start studying scales, you will realize that all scales are built on patterns of “tones” and “halftones.” This sounds quite complicated, but they simply serve as a way of describing the different intervals on the fretboard.

   • Semitone- This is an interval of one fret lower or higher. For example, if you play C (A string, third fret), moving up one fret will give you a C sharp note (A string, fourth fret). We can say that the notes C and C sharp differ by a semitone.
   • Tone– the same thing, only the interval will be in two frets. For example, if we stand on C and move up two frets, we play the note D (A string, fifth fret). Thus, the notes C and D differ by a whole tone.

5. Gamma level. You are almost ready to learn scales. The last concept to remember is "degrees" to define notes - since scales are sequences of notes that need to be played in order. The steps are listed below. Learning the quantitative names for each stage is very important - other names are used less often.

   • The note you start on is called main tone or first. Sometimes it is also called tonic.
   • The second note is called second or upper introductory tone.
   • The third note is called third or mediant.
   • The fourth note is called fourth or subdominant.
   • The fifth note is called fifth or dominant.
   • The sixth note is called sixth or submediant.
   • The seventh note is called seventh- it has several other names that vary depending on the scale, so we will omit them in this article.
   • The eighth note is called octave. She is also sometimes called tonic, since it is the same note as the first one, only higher.
   • After the octave, you can either start over with the second, or continue with the ninth. For example, a note after an octave may be called a "ninth" or a "second", but it is the same note either way.

   Part 2

   Major scales

   1. Select the starting note (root note) for your scale. The type of scale we will study in this section is major gamma. This is a good choice for initial learning since most other scales are based on the major scale. One great thing about scales is that you can play them starting from any note. To start, pick any note below the 12th fret on the low E or A string. By playing one of the low strings, you'll have plenty of room to move up and down the scale.

      • For example, let's start with salt(low E string, third fret). In this section you will learn how to play the G major scale - scales are named according to their fundamental tones.

   2. Study the scale diagram of the major scale. Any scale can be written as a pattern of whole tones and semitones. It is very important to learn the degree diagram of the major scale, since most other scales come from it. See below:

      • Start with the base tone, then follow these steps: Tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone.
      • For example, if we are standing on G, we will first move up a whole tone to A. Then, we'll move to another tone in B. Next, we'll move up a semitone to C. Following the diagram above, the scale will continue by playing the notes D, E, F sharp, and end on G.

   3. Learn fingering for the major scale. You can play the entire scale on one string, but it's too easy - something you don't usually notice with guitarists. Instead, a much more common practice would be to move up and down multiple strings as you play this scale. This will reduce the number of times you need to move your hand.

      • For the G major scale learned, we start playing at the third fret on the low E string. Then we play A and B on the fifth and seventh frets of the E string.
      • Next, we play C on the third fret A strings. We play D and E on the fifth and seventh frets of the A string.
      • Then we play F sharp on the fourth fret D strings. We finish by playing a G on the fifth fret of the D string. Notice that we didn't have to move our hand up and down the fingerboard to play this way - we just played different strings and pulled our fingers.
      • All together it should be like this: Low E string: A string: D string:

   4. Try running this pattern up and down the bar. As long as you start playing on the low E or A string, the fingering of the major scale you've learned can be played from any position on the fretboard. In other words, simply move all the notes up or down the same number of frets/steps to play different major scales.

      • For example, if you want to play a B major scale, you just need to move across the fretboard to the seventh fret of the low E string. Then, you just need to use the same fingering as before to play a scale like this: Low E string: B (7th fret), C sharp (9th fret), D sharp (11th fret) A string: E (7th fret), F sharp (9th fret), G sharp (11th fret) D string: A sharp (8th fret), B (9th fret)
      • Notice that the placement of the fingers on the frets is exactly the same as before. Simply move up and down to play different major scales.

   5. Learn scales by running up and down. Typically scales do not only play in one direction. Once you've mastered playing the major scale up, try playing it backwards once you've played a full octave. All you need to do is play the same notes, but in reverse order - without any changes.

      • For example, if you need to play a B major scale up and down, you need to play the notes like this: Game up: B, C-sharp, D-sharp, E, F-sharp, G-sharp, A-sharp, B Play Down: B, A-sharp, G-sharp, F-sharp, E, D-sharp, C-sharp, B
      • If you want to play a scale in 4/4 time, play each note as a quarter note or an eighth note. Play the octave twice or go to the ninth note (the tone just beyond the octave), then go back. This will give you the number of notes needed for the scale to “even out” the score.

   Part 3

   Minor scales

   1. Remember the difference between a minor and a major scale. The minor scale has a lot in common with the major scale. Like the major scale, minor scales are named according to their fundamental tones (for example, E minor, A minor, and so on). Most of the notes are even the same. There are just a few differences you need to remember:

      • At the minor scale the third stage is reduced.
      • At the minor scale sixth stage goes down.
      • At the minor scale the seventh stage is reduced.
      • To lower a note, simply move it down a semitone. This means that the third and seventh notes in the scale will be one fret lower than in the major scale.

   2. Learn the step pattern for the minor scale. The difference from the major scale will be the decrease on the third, sixth and seventh notes in the minor scale scheme. Memorizing a new pattern can be very helpful when mastering minor scales.

      • The minor scale scheme begins with the root tone, that is: Tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone, semitone.
      • For example, if you want to play the G scale minor, start playing the G major scale and lower the third, sixth and seventh degrees by semitones. Gamma salt major: G, A, B, C, D, E, F-sharp, G
      • ...hence gamma salt- minor will: salt, la, B-flat, before, re, E-flat, F, salt

   3. Learn the fingering for minor scales. Just like with major scales, notes in minor scales are played on specific scales, and you can run up and down the fretboard playing different minor scales. As long as you start playing minor scales with a low E string or A string, the minor pattern will be the same.

      • For example, let's play the E-flat minor scale. To do this, we'll simply start playing the E-flat scale, while lowering the third, sixth and seventh degrees down one fret, like this: A string: E-flat (6th fret), F (8th fret), F sharp (9th fret) D string: A-flat (6th fret), B-flat (8th fret), B (9th fret) G string: D-flat (6th fret), E-flat (8th fret)

   4. Practice playing scales up and down. Like major scales, minor scales are also often played up and down. You simply play the same sequence of notes, but in reverse without changes.

      • For example, if you want to play the E-flat scale up and down, you would do it like this: Up: E-flat, F, F-sharp, A-flat, B-flat, B, D-flat, E-flat Down: E-flat, D-flat, B, B-flat, A-flat, F-sharp, F, E-flat
      • Here you can also add a ninth degree (in this case, the note F after the octave) or play the octave twice to get into 4/4 time.

   Part 4

   Other useful scales

   1. Practice playing chromatic scales for practice and speed. One useful variety of scales to practice is the chromatic scale. In this range all degrees are divided into semitones. This means that a chromatic scale can be composed simply by running up and down the frets in a certain order.

      • Try this chromatic exercise: Start by choosing one of the strings on your guitar (it doesn't matter which). Start counting the 4/4 rhythm. Play the open string (without holding down the note on the fret) as a quarter note, then on the first fret, then on the second, and then on the third. Without stopping, play the first fret, the second, third and fourth. Keep the rhythm steady and play second, then third, fourth and fifth. Continue this pattern until you get to the 12th fret, then come back!
      • For example, if you play the high E string, your chromatic exercise would be: Count times: E (open), F (1st fret), F-sharp (2nd fret), G (3rd fret) Account 2: F (1st fret), F-sharp (2nd fret), G (3rd fret), G-sharp (4th fret)
      • ...and so on until the 12th fret (and back).

   2. Learn the pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale contains only 5 notes and they all sound pleasant when played simultaneously, so this scale is often used in solo parts. In particular, minor pentatonic scale extremely popular in rock, jazz and blues. This scale is so commonly used that it is sometimes simply called "pentatonic" for short. We will study this range below.

      • The minor pentatonic scale contains the following steps: Fundamental tone, decreased 3rd degree, fourth, fifth, and decreased seventh degree (plus octave). It's practically a minor scale, but without the second and sixth degrees.
      • For example, if we start on the low E string, the A minor pentatonic scale would be: Low E string: A (5th fret), C (8th fret) A string: D (5th fret), E (7th fret) D string: G (5th fret), A (7th fret)
      • Here, if you want, you can continue playing the same notes on the high strings: G string: C (5th fret), D (7th fret) B string: E (5th fret), G (8th fret) E string: A (5th fret), G (8th fret)

   3. Learn the blues scale. Once you've mastered the minor pentatonic scale, it's very easy to play the associated "blues scale." To do this you just need to add lower fifth step of the scale to the minor pentatonic scale. This will give you a scale with six notes - everything else is unchanged.

      • For example, if you want to turn an A minor pentatonic scale into an A blues scale, play it like this: Low E string: A (5th fret), C (8th fret) A string: D (5th fret), E-flat (6th fret), mi (7th fret) D string: G (5th fret), A (7th fret) G string: do (5th fret), re (7th fret), E-flat (8th fret) B string: E (5th fret), G (8th fret) E string: A (5th fret), C (8th fret)
      • The lowered fifth is known as the "blue note". Even though it's in a scale, it's a bit odd-sounding and dissonant in itself, so if you're playing a solo part, try to use it as a lead-in tone. - that is, play it “on the transition” to another note. Don't hold that blue note too long!

   4. Learn two-octave versions of all scales. Once you get to an octave of the scale, you don't have to go back. Simply treat the octave as the new root and use the same step pattern to play the second octave. We've already touched on this briefly in our study of the minor pentatonic scale, but it's something you can practice with almost any scale. Starting from the position of the bottom two strings, it is quite easy to cover two whole octaves in the same part of the fretboard. Note that the second octave usually contains distinct fingering even when considering the same steps.

      • Let's learn the two-octave major scale - once you memorize it, it will be easy to understand any other two-octave versions of major scales. We will try G major (the very first scale we studied in this article). At the moment we can do this: Low E string: G (3rd fret), A (5th fret), B (7th fret) A string: do (3rd fret), re (5th fret), mi (7th fret) D string: F sharp (4th fret), G (5th fret)
      • Continue using the same pattern: tone, tone, semitone, and so on... D string: G (5th fret), A (7th fret) G string: B (4th fret), C (5th fret), D (7th fret) B string: E (5th fret), F sharp (7th fret), G (8th fret)
      • ...and then we come back!