How to learn and practice major scale patterns on the guitar fretboard.
United States of America (Press Release) December 5, 2007 --
Guitarists of all levels play melodies, riffs, lead guitar solos and bass lines using major scales. The notes of the major scale cover the whole fretboard. To learn this scale template, players break it up into smaller pieces. This article will discuss how this process works and address common issues concerning patterns, fingerings, picking and transposing. With this information, guitar players will understand the process that eventually leads to successful usage and application of major scales, which is necessary in order to develop a strong knowledge of guitar theory.
Major Scale Patterns
When learning the major scale, players break up the notes into positions or patterns. Usually this is done with five pieces but there are other ways to do it. It really doesn't matter how the whole major scale template is broken up as long as the pieces are put together to cover the whole guitar fretboard. Also, different major scale patterns are not to be thought of as different scales. They're simply the same notes in different positions.
To see the major scale patterns illustrated on a neck diagram readers can go to Google.com and search "major scale patterns." Several web sites will come up that post versions of the patterns for free. Major scale patterns are also drawn out in many instructional guitar theory books such as Fretboard Theory.
Memorize Scale Patterns
As guitarists learn major scale patterns they should focus on only one at a time. Players should visualize the pattern on the fret board and play up and down it until it's completely memorized. It's not necessary to start or end on the root, but rather players should touch on every possible note available in a given position.
Major Scale Fingering
There are no correct or perfect ways to finger major scale patterns, but there are some bad habits that should be avoided. Good players would never do something silly like play through a whole pattern with only one or two fingers. This will make any guitarist look and sound like a hack. Instead, players should try to get three or four fingers involved. Positions should be covered by setting the hand in place and then reaching with the fingers. It's good to settle on a set fingering and then be consistent throughout practice, but players will no doubt use other fingerings when they start actually playing music especially when techniques such as slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs and bends are involved.
Alternate Picking
While guitarists are learning and rehearsing major scale patterns they should alternate their pick. Scale patterns require a lot of practice time. Negative habits, like plunking through everything with downstrokes, should not be reinforced during this time. Wise players can kill two birds with one stone by developing alternate picking technique while they learn scale patterns. To do so, guitarists should choke up on the pick, keep their hand planted on the guitar and alternate continuously without skipping or repeating any strokes. The right hand should rest just above the string being picked. As the right hand moves across the strings, it should slide over and rest upon the strings that are not being played to keep them quiet.
Reference Chord
Every time guitarists learn something new on the fret board they should try to peg it to something familiar. This is the key to developing a good working knowledge of music theory especially when applying guitar theory to the fret board. This pegging idea can be applied to major scales by associating patterns to reference chords. For example, pattern one (as it's usually taught) can be played right around an "E form" barre chord. Pattern two fits together with a "D form" barre chord. Pattern three with a "C form" and so on. If a player knows how to navigate the fretboard with chords, and they associate them to major scale patterns, then they'll be able to instantly jump into the major scale in any position. Learning more about chord forms can be done by researching the "CAGED Template Chord System."
Connecting Major Scale Patterns
After a pattern is completed, one can move to the next position and repeat the whole learning process with the new pattern. After the new position has been memorized, one can go back and review the others before it. This process should be continued until the whole fretboard is covered. Then, guitar players should practice connecting the patterns in both directions across the neck. In other words, pattern one connects to pattern two, two to three, three to four, four to five, and visa versa pattern five connects back into pattern four, four into three, three into two, and two into one. There may even be room to move backward from the pattern one that started everything.
As guitar players move from one pattern to the next, they should notice how a portion of each is reused in the new position. Visualizing how these pieces connect is the key to navigating the fretboard, understanding how music elements are combined, and developing a solid knowledge of guitar music theory.
Transposing Major Scales
Once the whole major scale template has been completed in one key it can be transpose by simply shifting it to a new starting position. Guitarists should be careful not to let the fret numbers throw them off. Instead, they should focus on the shape of the pattern and the feel of the fingering. These patterns should be connected in this new key until the fretboard runs out or it's not possible to play any higher. The area before pattern one begins needs to also be covered. This process should be covered through all twelve keys. When guitar players do this, they'll surely have the patterns down pat!
More to Come
Future guitar lessons will featured great ways to practice and helpful ways to begin applying the major scale to music and songs. This information is needed in order to complete the major scale learning process, and moreover to develop a good knowledge of guitar theory.
Guitar Major Scale Podcast
Listen to free audio lessons on major scales and guitar theory by searching "guitar theory" at iTunes or TalkShoe.com.
Play Until Yer Fingers Bleed!
Major Scale Patterns
When learning the major scale, players break up the notes into positions or patterns. Usually this is done with five pieces but there are other ways to do it. It really doesn't matter how the whole major scale template is broken up as long as the pieces are put together to cover the whole guitar fretboard. Also, different major scale patterns are not to be thought of as different scales. They're simply the same notes in different positions.
To see the major scale patterns illustrated on a neck diagram readers can go to Google.com and search "major scale patterns." Several web sites will come up that post versions of the patterns for free. Major scale patterns are also drawn out in many instructional guitar theory books such as Fretboard Theory.
Memorize Scale Patterns
As guitarists learn major scale patterns they should focus on only one at a time. Players should visualize the pattern on the fret board and play up and down it until it's completely memorized. It's not necessary to start or end on the root, but rather players should touch on every possible note available in a given position.
Major Scale Fingering
There are no correct or perfect ways to finger major scale patterns, but there are some bad habits that should be avoided. Good players would never do something silly like play through a whole pattern with only one or two fingers. This will make any guitarist look and sound like a hack. Instead, players should try to get three or four fingers involved. Positions should be covered by setting the hand in place and then reaching with the fingers. It's good to settle on a set fingering and then be consistent throughout practice, but players will no doubt use other fingerings when they start actually playing music especially when techniques such as slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs and bends are involved.
Alternate Picking
While guitarists are learning and rehearsing major scale patterns they should alternate their pick. Scale patterns require a lot of practice time. Negative habits, like plunking through everything with downstrokes, should not be reinforced during this time. Wise players can kill two birds with one stone by developing alternate picking technique while they learn scale patterns. To do so, guitarists should choke up on the pick, keep their hand planted on the guitar and alternate continuously without skipping or repeating any strokes. The right hand should rest just above the string being picked. As the right hand moves across the strings, it should slide over and rest upon the strings that are not being played to keep them quiet.
Reference Chord
Every time guitarists learn something new on the fret board they should try to peg it to something familiar. This is the key to developing a good working knowledge of music theory especially when applying guitar theory to the fret board. This pegging idea can be applied to major scales by associating patterns to reference chords. For example, pattern one (as it's usually taught) can be played right around an "E form" barre chord. Pattern two fits together with a "D form" barre chord. Pattern three with a "C form" and so on. If a player knows how to navigate the fretboard with chords, and they associate them to major scale patterns, then they'll be able to instantly jump into the major scale in any position. Learning more about chord forms can be done by researching the "CAGED Template Chord System."
Connecting Major Scale Patterns
After a pattern is completed, one can move to the next position and repeat the whole learning process with the new pattern. After the new position has been memorized, one can go back and review the others before it. This process should be continued until the whole fretboard is covered. Then, guitar players should practice connecting the patterns in both directions across the neck. In other words, pattern one connects to pattern two, two to three, three to four, four to five, and visa versa pattern five connects back into pattern four, four into three, three into two, and two into one. There may even be room to move backward from the pattern one that started everything.
As guitar players move from one pattern to the next, they should notice how a portion of each is reused in the new position. Visualizing how these pieces connect is the key to navigating the fretboard, understanding how music elements are combined, and developing a solid knowledge of guitar music theory.
Transposing Major Scales
Once the whole major scale template has been completed in one key it can be transpose by simply shifting it to a new starting position. Guitarists should be careful not to let the fret numbers throw them off. Instead, they should focus on the shape of the pattern and the feel of the fingering. These patterns should be connected in this new key until the fretboard runs out or it's not possible to play any higher. The area before pattern one begins needs to also be covered. This process should be covered through all twelve keys. When guitar players do this, they'll surely have the patterns down pat!
More to Come
Future guitar lessons will featured great ways to practice and helpful ways to begin applying the major scale to music and songs. This information is needed in order to complete the major scale learning process, and moreover to develop a good knowledge of guitar theory.
Guitar Major Scale Podcast
Listen to free audio lessons on major scales and guitar theory by searching "guitar theory" at iTunes or TalkShoe.com.
Play Until Yer Fingers Bleed!
Email
Print
Download
SPAM
LEAVE A COMMENT
