Basic guitar scales pdf

If you play the minor pentatonic in the key of E, we have a particularly easy fingering because we can use open strings. The Blues scale is a Minor pentatonic with a flattened 5th added. It has a unique sound that you immediately recognize. The minor scale is another important scale to learn, and it's the relative to the major scale. The Dorian scale is massively used in Jazz and Rock; it's a variation of the minor scale. The Mixolydian scale is a Major scale with a flattened 7th, it has a Bluesy feeling.

The Lydian scale , thanks to its raised 4th, has an unique dreamy effect. You find many more guitar scale diagrams in my complete ebook Scales Over Chords. There are different ways to play scales on the guitar.

Due to the nature of the fretboard, we have multiple options for going from one note to the upper octave. We could use only one string, moving our fretting hand horizontally, our we could use all of the strings. There are 3 popular fingering types that you should know:. This is the common method for beginners when first learning to play scales.

There are four frets for each finger, keeping your scale in a nice box already to play without much hand movement. Each finger frets the notes on the nearest fret for example, index finger on fret 1, middle finger on fret 2, ring on fret 3, and the pinky on fret 4. This is a way of playing scale often used by heavy metal shredders, and fast picking guitar players. Basically, your fingerings have exactly 3 notes per string: this is useful for high-speed alternate picking and legato.

The picking patterns are equal on all the strings down, up, down, next string and repeat and this allows very efficient motion.

When you play with legato , you pick only the first note on each string; again this is efficient. Scales boxes and patterns are useful, but when you'll advance in your guitar studies you could feel yourself trapped in these fixed schemes.

Playing scales horizontally, on one single string, allows you to gain more fretboard navigation freedom. Here below you find a great exercise that will help improve your scale speed and agility. It's based on the C major scale, I suggest to approach the pattern with the medium finger at the 8th fret.

For more things to practice, go to guitar scales exercises full list. Here's a chart with the most used scales. Each link will take you to a new page that shows you several fretboard patterns for playing that scale.

All the charts show the scale with the note C as the root, you can move the patterns up and down the neck to play a scale with a different tonic. If you wonder from where all these scales come from, you need to learn a bit about modes , a concept strictly related to scales, be sure to have a look at modes tutorial.

It's an handy reference pdf with tons of fretboard scale diagrams that you can print out. You'll find the ebook in your free download area. I'll leave you with some more resources to further deepen your music knowledge. Below the fretboard diagrams you find the guitar tab of the scale. Again, the E low string is at the bottom of the image, while the numbers on the strings tell you which frets to press for playing a given scale.

The most common scales that a beginner should learn first are the major, minor and pentatonic scales. A must for every guitar player: major and minor blues scales tabs. Here's an example:. In the ebook you'll also find the patters for the 7 modes of the major scale: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian mode.

The following patterns use 3 notes per string configuration. This kind of fingering is useful when you play scales at high speed, or when you play with legato. The Lydian mode has a unique sound to it. Some call it an airy sound.

I like to turn up the reverb for this one. The Mixolydian mode has a blues feel to it. Good for rock, country and rockabilly. The Melodic Minor scale is what I think of when I think jazz. Very much what I would expect from some very good sounding Jazz Cats. The Whole tone scale is a harsh sounding dissonant scale. Kind of like Limburger cheese for the ears. The Diminished scale would be good for Heavy Metal. Kind of reminds me of a Rat scurrying around a torture chamber.

The Guitar Major Pentatonic scale has a bright sound that is just right for country music. It just works. The Minor Pentatonic Scale is Bluesy. Just right for Blues and Rock. Add some distortion, reverb and delay and you will be transported to that world.

The Locrian mode has a sinister sound to it. Good for heavy metal and background music for a monster showing up in your movie. The Natural Minor Scale is a sad sounding scale. Not too sad kinda like kicking rocks on a boring day.