Using Scales

Want to improve your fingering? Want to improve your soloing? If so, you have probably been told to practice your scales. This may sound pretty boring, but practicing scales will make you a better player. It will improve your fingering, give you a better sense of timing and help you to understand the fundamentals of music. Here is the most basic scale of all. 

The A pentatonic minor. 

This scale can be heard in all forms of music, especially Blues and Rock. (this baby has gotten tons of mileage) When playing this scale (or any scale), use alternate up/down picking motion, play each note evenly. Once you've played the scale, play it backwards, move the scale up and down the neck of the guitar. Now, use bends, pull offs, hammer-ons and slides in the scale. These exercises will help you learn solo techniques. Here's a couple of easy examples. 

This example uses pull offs using the pentatonic scale (ala AC/DC's Back in Black):

Here is another example, bend the 7th fret on the G string up a whole note, then let the next 2 notes ring out.

These are just two examples with the pentatonic scale, invent some on your own, then incorporate them all together for your own interesting solos. 

Some other Scales 

C major scale: 

This next scale is my personal favorite because of its Arabian sound. 

G harmonic scale: 

What exactly is a scale anyway?

Actually a scale is a series of notes that are used to build chords. They are also used to improve fingering, construct solos, improve timing and help to inspire song writing. Think of a scale as as a template for a guitar solo. Each note in a scale is called a "degree". The first degree (or note) in a scale is called the "root". A scale will begin and end on the root note. For instance, if the scale begins on a C, C is the root, the scale will end on a C. The scale will be a C major scale, the chord constructed from this scale will be C major.  the C major scale is 8 notes: C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C. . . and so on. Each note is separated by a whole step, except when we go from B to C, and E to F. Like this: 

A (1) B (1/2) C (1) D (1) E (1/2) F (1) G (1) A

To build a C major chord, we would count 2 whole steps to the E note, and then count 1 1/2 steps to the G note.  

Major- 2 steps, 1 1/2 steps 
Minor- 1 1/2 steps, 2 steps 

If it doesn't quite make sense now, don't worry, it will. (Go to the Chord Construction lesson for more details) The worst thing you can do is burn yourself out with technical information. It may help to use a metronome when playing scales, also record yourself and play it back, noting anything that sounds sloppy. Recording myself practice and playing it back has been the single most helpful tool in helping to improve my playing. Give it a shot and see what you think. Remember, playing the guitar is supposed to be fun, so keep it simple and have fun.