Guitar Essentials - Lesson 6: Scales


Guitar Essentials Lesson 9 - Scales Lyle: Part of knowing the basic essentials on guitar is to know a few scales. Lyle: There are MANY scales and MANY ways to play them on the fretboard. If you don't know any scales, then this lesson is essential for you to learn. Lyle: I feel the major, minor, and minor pentatonic scales are the best scales to start with. Lyle: Let's pretend you don't know your scales and we'll start with the A major scale, in a two octave pattern: Lyle: Use alternate picking starting with a down stroke. Play the scale pattern ascending and descending, then slide the finger/scale pattern up 1 fret to be in the new key of A#/Bb and play the same exercise. Lyle: Here's a video example: Lyle: There are other patterns of the major scale you should be memorize because many other scales/modes are related to the major scale. Lyle: Here's another A major scale pattern: Lyle: Here's a pattern I like to use to go fast with: Lyle: Here's a 1 octave pattern that starts on the A note 12th fret, 5th string: Lyle: Here's another pattern that starts at the same place as the last pattern: zz: do ever practice scales in intervals, 3rd, 6ths etc Vernon: one octave means just 8 notes? Lyle: One octave means to go from A to A as in patterns 4 and 5. Lyle: zz, there are many ways to practice scales, most of them are very boring for most guitar students. I'm just going to keep it simple for this lesson. Lyle: In fact, learning and practicing scales is one of the hardest things for students to do. zz: go it... Lyle: Here's a two octave pattern starting on the 5th string: Lyle: Remember to practice these patterns in different keys too. Just move them up and down the neck. Lyle: Now the minor scale. The opposite of the major scale is the minor scale. Unlike the major scale, there are several different minor scales out there. Lyle: In this lesson you'll learn the natural minor scale, also called the pure minor, or relative minor. Lyle: This A natural minor scale has a lowered 3rd, 6th, and 7th degrees compared to the A major scale: Lyle: Here's another pattern I like to use: Lyle: That's enough patterns for the natural minor scale. Let's move on... Lyle: The other scale pattern that is real important, and easy, to learn and play is called the minor pentatonic. This scale is used in all styles of music. Lyle: The minor pentatonic only uses 5 tones from the natural minor scale, the 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7 tones/notes: Lyle: Pattern 1 is the easy finger pattern to play. Here's another one that starts on the 5th string: Lyle: Here's a cool pattern to learn for the minor pentatonic. It's a little harder because it covers so many frets: Lyle: Here's a test for you - Play A major scale, followed by A minor, followed by A minor pentatonic, all pattern 1 for each. Lyle: It would be like this: Lyle: That's enough scale study for this lesson. There are so many interesting scale, but these are the first ones you should know, and know well. Practice them up and down the neck. Get your alternate picking smooth and clean like mine. Lyle: See you next lesson!	<< load notation from left
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