major scale
Understanding the major scale and how other scales relate to it is essential to competent guitar playing. The Major Scale presents a cheerful and bright tonality and is the most significant scale in popular music. The major scale is created using the interval whole step – whole step – half step – whole step – whole step – whole step – half step.
Notice the pattern of WWWHWWWH from root note to root note. Now that you understand the pattern of the major scale, it is possible to move on to the interval of the scale. The interval of the major scale is 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Seems pretty simple, right? C Major is the simplest example because the pattern contains no sharps or flats. In C Major you have C ( 1 ), D ( 2 ), E ( 3 ), F ( 4 ), G ( 5 ), A ( 6 ), B ( 7 ), C ( 8 ).
natural minor scale
The natural minor scale (also known as the Aeolian mode) is one of the most widely used scales in modern rock music. The Natural Minor Scale has a more somber and somber tonality compared to the Major Scale. To build the natural minor scale, you flatten the 3rd, 6th, and 7th notes of the major scale.
Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
C major CDEFGAB
C minor CD Eb FG Ab Bb
Note that all minor scales have minor thirds. The minor third is the note that gives the scale its minor key.
Major Pentatonic Scale
The major pentatonic scale can be found everywhere in music. Listen to everything from country to rock, and you can count on hearing major pentatonic. The Major Pentatonic is quite similar to the Minor Pentatonic, but the position of the root note varies between the two.
The major pentatonic scale is made up of 5 notes (hence the prefix -penta), all of which are in the major scale. The major pentatonic scale formula consists of the notes 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the major scale.
This pattern is also the second position for the Minor Pentatonic. The big difference is the position of the root note. A tip for training your ear with the major pentatonic is to play the corresponding major chord before playing the scale. For example, play the A major chord, before playing the A major pentatonic scale (root on the 5th fret of the 6th string).
minor pentatonic scale
The minor pentatonic is possibly the most common guitar scale in rock music. Memorizing Minor Pentatonic patterns will greatly improve your soloing skills and improvisation skills. To create the minor pentatonic, you’ll take the 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 flat notes of the major scale. Note that each of these notes are also in the Natural Minor.
chromatic scale
The chromatic scale is unique in the fact that it uses all 12 tones in the octave. So the A chromatic would consist of A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, and then back to A. The chromatic scale is a great way to add a unique flavor to your game
I hope you found this post useful and informative (if so, please share it!) Remember to always practice scales with a metronome. There are good free metronomes online, like Best Metronome and Metronome Online. Learn scales slowly, playing each note accurately and cleanly.