Technorati Tags: blues scale, lead guitar, learn guitar scales, major pentatonic, minor pentatonic, minor scale

For rock, punk, grunge type music… Which guitar scales are the most important to learn? Also which chords aside from the basic major and minor (which I already know) chords are important to learn? What other aspects of guitar theory do I need to learn? How can I fit this into a daily training type regime?

I gave pls punctuate properly a THumBs Up?!??!??!?

My own answer is that they’re all important. For what you want, start with pentatonic scales and just practice every day. I agree with PPPF that a good approach is to use the songs you want to play as the framework for figuring out what you want to learn.

I want to expand what I can do with the guitar, and I need to learn scales that I can take up and down the neck. I can read tabs so finding the scales online isn’t hard BUT I’m completely overwhelmed. I don’t know which scales to learn first, or a way to practice to help them stick. What is a good way to learn scales? Where do I start?

Hello there,

I saw a video by Joe Satriani where he talks about how he learned the scales. I think he has good advice on that. Here is a link to that video.

Also, I think Wholenote.com has some good theory lessons. Here is a link to one on the modes.

http://www.wholenote.com/default.asp?src=l&l=4230&p=1

On that page is a list of other lessons that are quite good. I think you can get a lot from working through these lessons.

Later,

in which ways, i plan to learn about 3-5, should i learn all of the ones from one scale then move on, or should i just go in a straight line down the scales repeating the scales
well i do plan to imply them in my own writing, im following styles of john frusciante

hmmm it is dependent on what guitar scales you want to learn really, and since i see the john frusciante i would suggest learning about 3 postions of the pentatonic scales and 2 postions that overlap thos box positions in either the blues or minor scale because those are the ones that are mainly used in RHCP and his solo work, choosing minor over blues is dependent on what u think would better preference ur musicality…

also, u should learn them in both ways that you asked, however going in a straight line should be used more for warm ups and not in ur actual music, i believe that the more important one should be learning them from one scale to the next…

tips: remember that the 3 scales should be in succesion so then you will have a wide array of options and wont have any gaps in ur soloing…for example learning the A minor pentatonic in a root 6 postions and then learning the next 2 positions following that down the neck, learning the minor or blues scale will give you even more options increasing ur chances of a unique style of soloing exponentially

Ive been playing guitar for a while now but im self taught. A lot of people told me to learn scales and i planned to but i have no idea where to start. What scales should i learn?

The pentatonic and minor pentatonics are starters. You should also study blues riff but most importantly, study your guitar modes. this way, you will be able to have more ideas when you solo.
Also, you should learn your harmonic and melodic minor scales. That will help in mixing, minor pentatonic and melodic minor together. Use your imagination and don’t be afraid to mix the scales and jump from one scale to another. No set rules in music.

Here is a good site to learn modes, arpeggios or guitar sweeps which YOU should incorporate in your solos. That would open up more doors. Of course, to do arpeggios, you need to know your chords well.

http://guitarsecrets.com/

Good Luck …touch base

If so,what if the guitar is tuned in a different tuning?Do I have to learn MORE scales?

Scordatura tuning aside, the importance and usefulness of learning scales on the guitar fingerboard has mainly to do with finger phrasing technique. To develop fluidity on melodic progressions, scales are the pathway because so many melodies use scale fragments. The notation is not the important feature but rather fingering facility. Smoothness on the guitar fingerboard depends largely upon melodic-progression skills and scales are a part of that skill.

If you have been playing the guitar for some time, you will already know the geometry of the fingerboard. So that a scale in D-major for instance at the 7th fret is no different to finger than the scale of A-major at the 2nd fret, or the Bb-major scale at the 3rd fret. The fingering (though not the notes) is exactly the same for each scale. Regularly playing these scale patterns up and down the fingerboard will help you learn the fingerboard notes as well as gain facility with smooth progressions.

In the open position, notice the similarities of the E-major and A-major scales. The G-major scale in open position is the model (template) for 4-string upper-fret scales. Barring of course is required on the upper positions, so barring strengths (such as finger independence) are developed as well. All in all, some faithful scale practice as a warm-up exercise will pay big dividends. The importance is primarily pattern recognition not just notes.

For dropped-D tuning, only the 6th string is re-pitched and can be accommodated easily in most chords. A lot of scordatura scale practice is not needed.

I wish you well in this worthy pursuit.

Cliff E.Classic guitarist)

Preferably a free iPod touch app, but an online aource would work. Thanks.

See source.

http://www.pluckandplayguitar.com/guitar-scales.html

The Major Scale
•The Minor Pentatonic Scale
•The Major Pentatonic Scale
•The Blues Scale
•The Minor Scale

- are those really the scales that I should learn?

thanks

I’ve never seen that site before, and it looks really informative, there is a diverse selection of sites out there, and you might do well to check others too, to give you a better perspective;
Learn the Major scale first, because all the others are derived from that.

www.scalerator.com It has great tools for learning all sorts of scales.

It also has links to its affiliate, the chorderator, where you can learn all sorts of chords.

Both sites are interactive; you can place ‘notes’ on a guitar neck diagram and see other notes in that scale.

I can play rhythm guitar quite well, and I am able to read tabs and learn lead bits. But I was watching an interview of Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro and he said he "never sat down and learnt scales or anything" how is that possible? I have come up with a few lead bits of my own but i’m finding it very hard to come up with some more.

One of the best qualities about a lead guitarist is being able to come up with and play something memorable, whether it’s memorable to millions of people, or to yourself, and whether it’s a ripping solo or something melodic, it’s most likely that you will need an understanding of scales. It’s probably not absolutely essential to have terms like phrygian and mixolydian at the top of your head, but it is at least important to know how certain notes relate to each other in certain keys.

But if you want lead guitar without scales, there are still bands that go into atonal territories. Rage Against The Machine and Sonic Youth come to mind. Even Jackyl had a chainsaw solo!

Honestly, I would learn scales, but I would also be prepared to break musical rules when necessary. After all, there is one golden rule when comes to music: if it sounds good, it is good.