Why Learning Guitar Scales is Important

By Andre Sanchez

Learning guitar scales is important, even if you think it almost as boring as learning chords. The problem with many new guitarists who have just started learning is that they want to go too far too soon. That is the road to disaster, as many failed guitarists will tell you.

Have you ever seen these piano players learning how to play, when they are going up and down the octaves playing their scales? Well, they are putting money in the bank because it will help them later when they have to play certain note combinations without thinking. If you are going to be a good lead guitarist, or a solo guitarist of any description in any genre, you too will have to spend time learning your guitar scales.

So, the question that many non-musicians ask. What are scales, and why are they so important? Scales are combinations of notes, ascending or descending, normally within an octave. The major scales are the basis of all other scales, and start and end on the same not. They go in the order whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half-whole, the wholes and halves representing steps. Thus, for the scale of D: D – E – F# – G – A – B – C# – D.

Scales are chosen because they are melodic and harmonic, and once learned, they can be used to produce tunes that are pleasing to the ear. When learning guitar, you will come across the pentatonic scale, which is derived from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th notes of the corresponding major scale. Thus, the pentatonic D will be D – E – F# – A – B

There are a number of reasons for learning scales, one being that they are fundamental to learning the theory of music, and if your ambition is to become a classical guitarist, then you will also be required to learn about the theory of music. They allow you to learn about harmonics and pitch, and the effects of sharps and flats. Some note combinations are discordant to the ear, and scales will make it a great deal easier for you to compose a series of notes that will sound good.

Another reason, more important to guitarists, is that they enable you to play a series of notes without thought that will sound good, especially when played fast. Most fast guitar riffs and solos would sound meaningless if played slowly, but sound great when played fast. That is because they are based upon the pentatonic scales. You could conceivably use a major or minor scale, but with a pentatonic, you only have to learn combinations of 5 notes.

By learning a few pentatonic scales, you will be able to play fast guitar licks up and down the frets, using the same 5 notes in the same order. If you listen to the main solo in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, written by Brian May, that is played using a pentatonic scale, as is ‘Eruption’ by Eddie Van Halen. You can play the same notes over a number of octaves and it will sound great, because the notes are a scale that is pleasing the ear. Hence, the importance to a lead guitar player of learning guitar scales.

Once you get up on stage and start playing, you are not going to remember a complex series of notes to make up a rapid guitar solo. You have to play the notes by rote. If you have learned a guitar scale, the pentatonic in particular, you will be able to play anywhere on the neck of your guitar, as long as the notes are true.

Sure, you will have to change it for each string, and according to where on the neck you play it, but the notes will be the same and they will always be played in the same order. In practise, it doesn’t matter to you if they are sharps or flats or neither: you are just playing the notes, and don’t have to understand the theory. If you have learned your guitar scales properly, then you won’t have to remember because of the muscle memory involved.

It’s the same with chords. If you have learned your chords properly, you don’t have to figure where to put your fingers, you just play the chord and you fingers automatically get them right due to the muscle memory of repetition and revision. You don’t start a new song in your gig, and then wonder what the chords are: they come automatically, and so do the scales when you need them.

That’s why learning guitar scales is important, and why you shouldn’t screw up your face when asked to play them. It’s money in the bank, that you will withdraw when you are finally standing alone in front of 10,000 screaming people and striking up the first note of your fabulous guitar solo. It’s only dozens of repetitions of a pentatonic scale, but they don’t know that – they think you are fabulous – a star- and all because you took the time to learn your guitar scales.

If you want to be a good guitar player, you must learn your scales, and http://www.jamplaynow.com is the membership guitar site that will teach you all you need to know. Visit Jamplay to learn the secrets of the great players – and then use them yourself.

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What Guitar Scales Should You Study?

By Mike P Hayes

What are scales? What guitar scales should you study? If you are new to the guitar, and new to music, you are probably not even quite sure exactly what a scale actually is, which certainly adds to the aura of mystery that begins to surround the subject.

Learning and practicing scales can become an obsession for many guitarists. Scales can “free your fingers and freeze your brain”, if you’re not careful. Always keep in mind that scales are part of the preparation work we do so we will be free to express ourselves musically.

Scales are to the musician what skipping a rope is to a boxer, it’s part of the preparation work. Scales are simply a means to an end. What guitar scales should you study depends on the type of music you want to play. It’s far better to master a small number of scales and be able to apply these scales to many musical settings.

The first thing to understand is that there are hundreds of scales, to give you an idea of what you’re up against, here’s a short sample of some of the names of scales starting with the letter “L”. Leading Whole Tone Locrian Locrian #2 Locrian b4 Locrian Flat 4 Locrian Minor Locrian natural 2 Locrian Natural 2nd Locrian Sharp 2nd Lydian Lydian 7b Lydian Augmented Lydian b7 Lydian contracted Lydian diminished Lydian Diminished 1 Lydian Diminished 2 Lydian Dominant Lydian dominant scale4 Lydian Minor Lydian Sharp 2nd Keep in mind, this is only a sample from a very long list of scales. Each one of these scales can be played in 12 different keys as guitarists we have the added issue of multiple fingering options on the guitar fretboard.

What guitar scales should we study is a very important question, to be honest five minutes thought deciding what to practice is much better that five hours of haphazard practice. Scales are the building blocks from which all music is created. we use scales to create melodies (horizontal structures), chords (vertical structures), arpeggios (oblique structures). Scales in themselves are not music they are simply our musical alphabet. In the hands of a skilled musician they can create music.

Three things to consider when learning scales: (a) there’s the intellectual aspect, data memory information i.e., the names of the notes and their scale step numbers. (b) applying this knowledge to the guitar, in order to do this successfully we need to be able to identify all the notes on the fingerboard by name, not simply by a fingering pattern. (c) motor skill training i.e., speed is a byproduct of accuracy, with the right amount of accurate repetitions, scales will be stored in the brain as a reflex function, training very slowly to avoid mistakes.

Where to start: The first scale guitar players should study would be the minor pentatonic scale. the minor pentatonic scale is a five note scale, (penta = five) found throughout the world. Example of the minor pentatonic scale in the key of A would be: A – C – D – E – G The second scale guitar players should study would be the blues scale. the blues scale is one of the most frequently used scales. It is also important because it is the first real scale of American origin. The blues scale is a six note scale, one way of thinking of this scale would be to treat the blues scale as a minor pentatonic scale with a flattened 5th.

Example of the Blues scale in the key of A would be: A – C – D – Eb – E – G The third scale guitar players should study would be the major pentatonic scale. The major pentatonic scale is another five note scale. Example of the major pentatonic scale in the key of A would be: A – B – C# – E – F# It is thought that the pentatonic scales represent early stages of musical development, because it is found, in different forms, in most of the world’s music.

These two pentatonic scales together with the blues scale are used to create riffs, licks and solos on many popular recordings. What guitar scales should you study is an important question, you can save a lot of time by learning these three scales first. Good luck finding which scales that are right for your music.

Mike Hayes is a teacher, author, speaker and consultant. Get his tips and tested strategies proven to boost your guitar playing his membership site at http://www.guitarcoaching.com today. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_P_Hayes http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Guitar-Scales-Should-You-Study?&id=729296

Finger Strength

If you practice often and for more than an hour at a time, you will be able to build up decent finger strength on your own. But if you’re looking to quickly build finger strength and stamina, there are an unlimited number of exercises you can do to speed up the process. Most finger exercises are difficult as well, which adds a second degree of practice. The following samples are exercises that sound horrifying but yield great results if used actively. The rationale of these exercises is you help your mental skills and your physical finger skills.

Scales

The best way to get quality practice time is to practice your scales up and down. Start with a simple major or minor scale and play it up and down without stopping for about 5 minutes. While you’re playing, focus on making clear, crisp notes and keeping both hands in time. Make sure that you also focus on the feel of the scale and the sound. Make sure your fingers are fretting the notes correctly, between metal frets. Keep your fingers down on the fretboard until you have to move them to a new string. When you move to a new string, don’t lift your fingers off the fretboard farther than you have to. This is a very common mistake in brass horn players and can happen to guitarists as well. Only move your fingers as far as you must so you can avoid wasting time moving your fingers farther than you have to. With ALL of these points in mind, let’s move on to the next exercise.

Staircase Exercise

This is a well-known John Petrucci riff that can take you a long way. This exercise can also be used on both acoustic and bass, maybe even more effectively because of their higher string gage. The shape used in the exercise is like a staircase that is inverted several times. Each time you play the shape once normally and once inverted, then you move it up one fret and continue. Make sure to keep your fingers on the fretboard as long as possible, and let the notes ring out the best you can. Keep the whole exercise flowing and moving. Start off slowly and pick up the tempo gradually as you feel more comfortable. Don’t focus on making the shape and then playing, but start playing the shape before all of your fret fingers are all the way down. It’s the best way to keep everything flowing smoothly. This exercise will greatly help your fingers’ accuracy and speed.

Chromatic Exercises

Another great exercise is the chromatic scale, or any chromatics for that matter. Running up and down the chromatic scale can help speed, accuracy and of course finger strength. Do this often to keep your fingers synched up. And of course, if you have some favorite guitar solos with long eighth- or sixteenth-note runs, you can practice them over and over as well.
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Finger Exercises For Playing The Guitar

If you exercise often and for more than an hour at a time, you will be able to build up decent finger strength on your own. But if you’re looking to have stamina as well as finger strength fast, there are an infinite number of exercises you can do to speed up the process. Most finger exercises are mentally challenging as well, which adds a second degree of practice. The following examples are exercises that sound horrible but yield great results if used actively. The purpose of these exercises is you help your mental and finger skills.

Scales

The best way to get quality practice time is to exercise your scales up and down. Start with a simple major or minor scale and play it up and down without stopping for about 5 minutes. While you’re playing, focus on making clear, crisp notes and keeping both hands in time. Make sure that you also focus on the feel of the scale and the sound. Make sure that our fingers are between metal frets. Keep your fingers down on the fretboard until you have to move them to a new string. When you move to a new string, don’t lift your fingers off the fretboard farther than you have to. This is a very common mistake in brass horn players and can happen to guitarists as well. Only move your fingers as far as you must so you can avoid wasting time moving your fingers farther than you have to. With ALL of these points in mind, let’s move on to the next exercise.

Staircase Exercise

This is a well-known John Petrucci riff that can take you a long way. This exercise can also be used on both acoustic and bass, maybe even more effectively because of their higher string gage. The shape used in the exercise is like a staircase that is inverted several times. Each time you play the shape once normally and once inverted, then you move it up one fret and continue. Make sure to keep your fingers on the fretboard as long as possible, and let the notes ring out the best you can. Keep the whole exercise flowing and moving. Start off slowly and pick up the speed gradually as you feel more comfortable. Don’t focus on making the shape and then playing, but start playing the shape before all of your fret fingers are all the way down. It’s the best way to keep everything flowing smoothly. This exercise will greatly help your fingers’ accuracy and speed.

Chromatic Exercises

Another great exercise is the chromatic scale, or any chromatics for that matter. Running up and down the chromatic scale can help speed, accuracy and of course finger strength. Do this often to keep your fingers synched up. And of course, if you have some favorite guitar solos with long eighth- or sixteenth-note runs, you can practice them over and over as well.

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