Many guitarists all over the world do not know the secrets of becoming a complete guitarist. They struggle through the years, copying licks and solos, but the never really understand what they are doing with their instrument. If you are one of those guys wanting to understand what you play, guitar scale practice is totally essential for you.
Some Background Information About Scales
Musical scales have been around for hundreds of years, and they are the foundation for musical styles. The most common is the Western Style Music, where all the pop and rock fit in e.g. Typical scales in this genre of music are diatonic, natural minor, pentatonic, chromatic, whole tone and diminished scales. These are also the scales to be used on the guitar.
What Can Guitar Scale Practice Do For You Playing?
If you practice scales on your guitar on a regular basis, you will soon start to note your playing improve tremendously. You will feel more free when you are improvising along with CD's or when jamming with others in a band. It will become much easier for you to learn licks and solos, when you suddenly see the system they are built upon. You will also get a better understanding for chords and arpeggios, when you can see them in context to scales. You will actually become a better guitarist in every area of your playing.
So, Where Do You Start Your Guitar Scale Practice?
There are many scales in music, which are all great to know. But you can't learn them all at once. You need to begin with the simple things, so I recommend you start out with either the diatonic scales, or major scales as they are usually called, or with the pentatonic scales.
Both of these are a great starting point, and are also the basis for all the other scales you can learn at a later time. Start learning these two scales, and learn them in and out, in all the different positions and possible fingerings/patterns, all over your fretboard. Don't just play them in one key, but try to learn them in all different keys from C to B.
The 2 Scales to Start With in Your Guitar Scale Practice
Here are a couple of examples of what the patterns could look like at your guitar fretboard, try to learn them slowly, until you have the fingerings correct and nailed down in your mind and fingers.
- This is the A Major Scale or A Diatonic Scale, in the 5th position, pattern 1/6:
E---------------------------------------------------------------------5--7--9--
B-------------------------------------------------------5--7--9-----------------
G----------------------------------------------6--7--------------------------------
D--------------------------------6--7--9-----------------------------------------
A------------------5--7--9--------------------------------------------------------
E---5--7--9------------------------------------------------------------------------
- And this is the A Minor Pentatonic Scale, in the 5th position, pattern 1/6:
E------------------------------------------------5--8----
B---------------------------------------5--8--------------
G------------------------------5--7-----------------------
D---------------------5--7---------------------------------
A------------5--7-------------------------------------------
E---5--8-----------------------------------------------------
These scales are perfect to start with if you are a beginner, but you could also benefit from learning them if you are an intermediate guitarist, without great knowledge about scales and different scale fingerings.
Incorporate these scales into your daily guitar scale practice and you will definitely see some results quite soon.
