Scales are the building blocks of all but atonal avant-garde music. They are literally the keys that unlock music.
Think of them as sets of notes with a characteristic sound and defined structure.
Melodies (also licks and phrases) form by arranging notes of scales into meaningful patterns.
Chords form by harmonising the notes from scales - on the guitar we blend notes together by placing them on different strings and letting them ring together.
Below are the basic scale shapes that will get you started. Each scale starts from the root or tonic on the 6E string, fret 5 - A.
Once memorised these shapes can be moved sideways to start from any other note (or root) on the 6E string and retain their shape.
Learn them not just by shape, but also by sound, the gaps between the notes, and the constituent note names (use the fretboard diagram in the Welcome Page for reference).
In the video I pause at the top of each so you can digest the pattern. As you improve, try to play them up and down without stopping.
Follow the fingerings I use and keep alternating your pick strokes.
Scale 1: The Chromatic Scale
2: The Major Scale
3: The Major Blues (also called Major Pentatonic Blues)
4: The Minor Scale (also called Natural Minor)
The Minor Blues Scale (also called Minor Pentatonic Blues)
Focus on making the notes flow evenly and smoothly and the same volume. Once you get to this level you will be rightly tempted to improvise with the notes to explore and be creative.
