By Kev M.


Major Scales Guitar is the most important scale in modern music. The seven notes of the major scale are what all songs scale and guitar leads build from. If you are planning on developing as a guitar player it is vital that you learn at least the basics of this scale. Learn this scale will create a foundation that will give you insight into writing songs and understand what makes up the basis of a guitar lick or lead.

This scale comes from. Gregorian chants of ancient times. These religious chants were the beginnings of music notes and as instruments were invented the Ionian mode came into being and that became what is known as the Major scale. This is still known today as the Ionian mode but is most commonly referred to as the Major scale.

In modern days we all seem to identify with the major from the movie the Sound of Music. One of the more famous songs sung in that movie was "doe a deer a female deer, ray a drop of golden sun." This is the vocal version of the Ionian mode. This scale is not just a guitar scale. The Ionian scale encompasses all music and allows communication between vocals and instruments alike.

Bellow I have list some of the important factors of the Ionian scale. I have listed the scale formula which simply showing the intervals of the scale on the guitar fretboard. We see the whole and half steps. Then just below that are the notes of the scale. Learns these and apply them to your guitar neck this will become invaluable.

scale Formula: W-W-H-W-W-W-H

The W & H refer to steps W being a whole step on the fretboard and H being a half step.
The notes of the Major scale:

C: C D E F G A B
D: D E F# G A B C#
E: E F# G# A B C# D#
F: F G A Bb C D E
G: G A B C D E F#
A: A B C# D E F# G#
B: B C# D# E F# G# A#
C#: C# D# E# F# G# A# B#
Eb: Eb F G Ab Bb C D
F#: F# G# A# B C# D# E#
Ab: Ab Bb C Db Eb F G
Bb: Bb C D Eb F G A

By Dene R Lingard


If you are seriously into Rock or Blues, or you just want to learn how to play a guitar, you will know all about the pentatonic scales chart. Comprising of only 5 notes, the letter name of each pentatonic scale forms the root note. It is very common for musicians to confuse the minor and the major scales. They tend to overlook a lot of the sounds and patterns by considering the minor pentatonic scales as the best option, and they may get some of the guitar scales wrong. With this in mind let us look at some examples of the pentatonic scales chart.

Basic Notes We begin with the two common pentatonic scale charts, one of the most prevalent scale modes there is. In the E minor pentatonic scales chart, to achieve the minor flavor for the E minor, the note oE is emphasized. Similarly, for the G major pentatonic scale, the emphasis is laid on the G note, which imparts the major sound.

A great feature of these scales charts is that the positions are quite flexible. Let us examine the formations of a pentatonic scale, for example "A". Here, the pattern for the progression has the basic formations of A (7-9-13) with 4 bars, D (7-9) with 2 bars, A (7-9-13) with 2 bars, E (7-9) with a single bar, D (7-9) with a single bar, A (7-9-13) with another single bar, E (7,9) with 1 bar, and the tonic follows again.

The major and the minor scales often have very similar formations. For example, consider the A major and A minor scales. If you check them in any depth you will discover that their positions are identical!

Some Great Examples I have provided some great numbers that have used the chords from the pentatonic charts. These are great to play and good for learning the pentatonic scales. Take for example the song "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. Concentrate on the intro of the number and you will feel the difference in the sound produced. "Let It Be" by The Beatles, "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart, "Upside Down" by Jack Johnson, "Better Together" by Jack Johnson, "Yellow Ledbetter" by Pearl Jam, etc are a few more numbers to look into. Practicing these chords can help you a lot with your study of the pentatonic scales chart.

Conclusion The Pentatonic scales chart, like any of the other charts, takes a little application and practice. It is my advice however to ensure that you do persevere with it. It is always a temptation when you learn to play guitar to try and short cut your way to success. This is wrong. Learning to read notes is an asset that will remain with you for the rest of your guitar playing days and is highly recommended on your way to achieving your goals. You can also try learning the guitar by obtaining a cool guitar pictures that will help you visualize the frets and ease your way into this wonderful world.