Building Guitar Scales

Guitar scales are important "tools" musicians use to understand chords, increase speed, develop a good ear, play licks and riffs, transpose keys, improvise, and play lead guitar. As you can see, scales are pretty important and they can help you gain a better understanding of your instrument!

There are many different types of guitar scales...

... but this lesson will focus on the C Major Scale, which is foundational to an understanding of music in general.

Like the A Minor Scale in the previous lesson, C Major uses NATURAL notes (tones). The difference being that you will now start on the letter C (instead of A) and move up alphabetically until you again reach the letter C. But before you begin, let me explain a few more things about guitar scales and how they work.

There are 8 degrees (or tones) in a Major Scale:

C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Notice that the letter name of the 8th degree is C, the same letter name as the 1st degree. The 8th degree of a scale is called an OCTAVE, which simply means eight. The 1st degree is called the ROOT or TONIC and it establishes the Key Note (name) of the scale. The distance from one tone to the next is called an INTERVAL.

Major scales always follow a consistant pattern of whole steps and half-steps. Here is the pattern of a Major Scale:

W W 1/2 W W W 1/2

You can see this pattern clearly on the guitar when you play the scale up the neck using only one string.

E|--------------------------------------------
B|--1----3----5--6----8----10----12--13------
G|--------------------------------------------
D|--------------------------------------------
A|--------------------------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------

Using your first finger, play the C MAJOR SCALE by following the tablature and moving up the neck along the 2nd string. Notice the series of WHOLE STEPS AND HALF-STEPS as you move up the neck toward the 13th fret. If you play it correctly you will hear the familiar sound:

Do Re Me Fa So La Ti Do

Remember to use just your first finger as you move along the string up to the 13th fret.

Now play the scale in FIRST POSITION. Remember that "first position" means you will only play notes within the first 4 frets of the guitar. Begin at the ROOT and ascend to the OCTAVE, moving across the strings. It will be harder to see the whole steps and half-steps, but it"s still very easy to do.

Now, starting at the Octave, go down the scale until you reach the Root.

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From the C Major scale we can make a C Major chord.

Major chords have a positive, happy sound when compared to the sad or dramatic sound of minor chords.

An easy way to practice the C Major chord is to start on Am, then move to C and back to Am again. Notice on the chord grids below how the 1st and 2nd fingers are on the same frets and strings for both chords!

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EXERCISE:

1. Strum Am.

2. Stretch your 3rd finger over to the 5th string on the 3rd fret. Do not move your other fingers!

3. Strum C.

4. Move your 3rd finger back to the 3rd string on the 2nd fret.

5. Strum Am.

Once you feel comfortable moving from Am to C, add the Em chord to the sequence. Try the following chord progression:

ECONOMY OF MOTION- Be sure to leave your 2nd finger down when you move from one chord to the next!

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LESSON OBJECTIVE:

1. To learn how to build guitar scales by starting with and memorizing the C Major Scale.

2. Memorize the pattern of whole steps and half-steps needed to make a Major Scale.

3. Be able to associate and play each chord with the correct fingering on the fretboard.

PRACTICE:

1. Play the C Major Scale Ascending. Strum the C Major Chord. Play the C Major Scale Descending. Strum the C Major Chord again.

2. Practice the chord progressions given in this lesson until you are able to change from one chord to the next easily.

3. Review previous lessons if necessary.

Well, that sums it up for this lesson about Guitar Scales. Continue to practice the A Minor scale given in lesson 4 along with the C Major scale. They will help you will become very familiar with where the natural notes in first position are on your guitar.

The Importance of Rhythm

This lesson will cover the importance of rhythm. You don't need to read music to be able to play the guitar, but having an understanding of note values can be very helpful.

There have been several occasions when I've acquired a new student who expressed trouble keeping a regular steady beat even after playing guitar for several years. In order to do this a person needs to understand how to count or feel the beats within a measured length of time. That is the essence of rhythm.

In this lesson you will learn about note values and how to count them while playing an A minor scale.

Notes and rests are common symbols used to describe a duration of time in music. The time is measured with beats. This is how the rhythm is established.

At some point in your life you have probably experienced tapping your foot to a song you were listening to. Without realizing it, you were feeling the pulse and keeping time with the rhythm by counting beats! One important thing to be aware of is the fact that

music is primarily an intuitive process and preceeds the WRITTEN form.

Someone creates a piece of music from within themselves and later puts it down on paper as a way of remembering or sharing it with others. You want to develop this ability to FEEL the rhythm of the music intuitively within yourself.

However, understanding some of the symbols within the written form can help you to achieve a good sense of ryhthm.

Each of the following note symbols has a name related to the number of beats it receives:

Whole Note - receives 4 beats. Half Note - receives 2 beats. Quarter Note - receives 1 beat. Eighth Note - receives 1/2 a beat.

The notes are placed on five horizontal lines called a staff. Two vertical bar lines define the space in between known as a measure.

As you can see, the example above uses quarter notes. Count each one individually, just as if you were counting four coins: 1 2 3 4.

Because we are using four beats to a measure we can replace the quarter notes with either two half-notes or one whole note.

Continuing with our analogy of money, a half-note is similar to a half-dollar, and a whole note is similar to a one dollar bill. In other words.

4 quarters = 4 beats
2 halves = 4 beats
1 whole = 4 beats

It all adds up the same!

Today, most guitar music is accompanied by tablature. This is a method which uses numbers and letters instead of notes to indicate how the music is played.

Tablature is an easy way for most students to learn how to play the guitar. I use it very often myself. Unfortunately, tablature doesn't always include the rhythm structure of the song. This means you won't be able to play the piece correctly unless you have heard it or someone shows you the rhythm.

The best way for learning a song in written form is by using a combination of the two. Tablature that includes standard notation will also enable you to learn the rhythm if you know how to interpret the note values and count the beats!

Below is an example of tablature and notation combined. The notes above are written on the five lines of a staff indicating the rhythm. There are four quarter notes in each measure, so be sure to count 1 2 3 4 in all four measures.

The six lines of the tablature represent the six strings of the guitar. The bottom line equals the low sixth string, the top line equals the first string.

The numbers on the lines represent the fret you will play. Use the 1st finger when playing the first fret, 2nd finger, second fret, 3rd finger, third fret, and 4th finger, fourth fret.

PLAY THE TABLATURE EXERCISE:

1. Start by playing the open A (5th string). The next note to play is B on the second fret, then C on the third fret. All three notes (A, B, C) are on the same string.

2. Continue up to the open D on the 4th string, playing each fret indicated, then go to the 3rd string.

3. Play the open G and then A on the second fret. Now go back down, reversing the order.

This is the Musical Alphabet A B C D E F G A, which is also an A minor scale. Notice as the notes go up on the staff you are also moving forward in the alphabet as well as higher in sound. Likewise, as the notes go down the staff you are moving backward in the alphabet and lower in sound.

From this scale we can make an A Minor Chord. A chord is simply a combination of 3 or more tones (or notes) played simultaneously. All chords are built from scales.

The numbers on the chord grid in between the staff and the tablature represent your fingers. This tells you what fingers to use to make an A minor chord.

The whole notes on the staff above tell you to strum the chord once, then count to four while sustaining the sound.

The tablature beneath shows the frets your fingers should be on. Any letter from the Musical Alphabet with a small m next to it represents a MINOR CHORD.

Play the A minor scale again, this time adding the A minor chord at the end. Count a rhythm of 4 beats per measure. Strum the A minor chord one time and let the sound continue as you count the 4 beats of a whole note.

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Another chord that is easy to play and also works nicely with Am, is Em.

Notice how the 2nd finger is on the fourth string for each chord.

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EXERCISE:
1. Strum Am.

2. While keeping your 2nd finger down, move to Em and strum the chord.

3. Move back to Am and strum the chord while keeping your 2nd finger down.

IMPORTANT:

Keeping your 2nd finger down while practicing this rhythm exercise will help you to remember the chord shapes. You will also be applying a principle known among guitarists as "economy of motion". In other words, less is more! You don't want to slow yourself down with unnecessary motion.

LESSON OBJECTIVE:

To understand how to count a common 4 beat rhythm using the tablature, chord grids and basic note values described in this lesson. To learn the A minor scale along with the Am and Em chords.

PRACTICE:

Play the A minor scale forward and back everyday, using whole notes, half-notes and quarter notes.

Play the chord exercise after the scale. In a short time you should begin to feel comfortable with the fingering. Memorize where each letter of the scale is as you play.

NOTE VALUES - For more rhythm practice, play through this entire page of note values. When you are playing eighth and sixteenth notes, use an alternating down-up strum for each note.

Tuning the Guitar

Tuning the guitar is easy once you understand how the fretboard works. But, even if you don't have a clue about the fretboard, it's still a very simple process.

Today there are many electronic and digital devices available to help you with tuning your guitar. I use the Korg TM-40 because it has both a tuner and a metronome. It comes in handy when I’m teaching and I also like to use the metronome during my own practice sessions. It can also be a great asset to have when playing with a group of other musicians because it makes tuning up a breeze. So you might want to consider adding one to your gig bag.

The method I'm going to show you today, however, will teach you how to LISTEN to the tones of your guitar. This is an important area to develop if you wish to become a better musician.

To begin with let's review some guitar basics. Remember that the strings are identified like this:

LETTER> E A D G B E
STRING> 6 5 4 3 2 1

These letters represent the natural open tones (sound) of each string and they move forward alphabetically as you ascend (move up) the neck. Each letter is the distance of one whole step from the other except B/C and E/F. These two pairs are always a half-step apart (see lesson on Introducing The Fretboard for further review).

Let's look at the fifth and sixth string as an example:

open|-1-|-2-|-3-|-4-|-5-|
5 = A|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|
6 = E|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|

Notice that when you arrive on the fifth fret you are on the letter A. This is the same tone as the open A on the fifth string! When you compare the sound of both tones on each string, they should sound the same.

With this in mind, let's get started tuning the guitar!

TUNING TABLATURE

1. Press down and strike the A on the sixth string at the fifth fret.

2. Next, strike the open A on the fifth string.

3. Slowly adjust the fifth string until it matches the sound of the fretted A on the sixth string.

4. Now move to the fifth sting and again press down at the fifth fret. This is D and should sound the same as the open D on the fourth string. Compare and adjust as needed.

5. Move to the fourth string, press down G at the fifth fret. Follow the same proceedure and compare with the open G on the third string.

6. When you arrive at the third string you must move to the FOURTH FRET. This is B (third string, fourth fret). Press down and compare with the open B on the second string. You're almost done!

7. Move back to the FIFTH FRET on the second string. You are now playing an E. Compare this tone with the open E on the first string.

Wah-Lah! You have successfully learned the secret of tuning the guitar by ear!

LESSON OBJECTIVE: To become familiar with tuning the guitar using the method given in this lesson.

PRACTICE: Use this method to help develop your ability to hear the correct pitch of each tone. If you have an electronic or digital tuner, you can use that to check how accurate you are when you've finished. If you continue using this method you should notice an overall improvement in your ability to hear correct pitch after a relatively short tme!

FOR MORE HELP:

LISTEN TO THE SOUND - Does it blend? It should sound like you're hearing the same tone twice even though you're hitting two different strings. If the tones don't sound the same you will adjust the FIFTH STRING by either raisiing or lowering the pitch with the tuning key at the head of the guitar. It is always safer to begin by LOWERING the pitch so that you don't accidently break a string!

TIP: If you have difficulty hearing the correct pitch when tuning the guitar by ear, then you shouldn't be without a guitar tuner. It will make tuning up a lot easier and faster when you're with other musicians too! Below is a graphic of the tuner that I got online at zzounds.com

Korg TM Metro/Tuner

How to Read Guitar Tab

Learning how to read guitar tab is probably one of quickest and easiest ways to start playing the guitar.

I use tablature to introduce music fundamentals to my students who haven't yet learned how to read notation. This gives them a starting point and provides a way for me to communicate and write out their lesson plans.

Here is a simple explanation of how tab works:

If we take the six strings of a guitar and write them

down on paper they will look like this:

E:-------------------- > FIRST STRING
B:-------------------- > SECOND STRING
G:-------------------- > THIRD STRING
D:-------------------- > FOURTH STRING
A:-------------------- > FIFTH STRING
E:-------------------- > SIXTH STRING

Numbers placed on a string indicate which FRET you

will play.

0 = OPEN
1 = 1ST FRET
2 = 2ND FRET
3 = 3RD FRET

(etc.)

Try playing the following tab exercise:

E:|----------------------------------------
B:|----------------------------------------
G:|-------------------------------0---2----
D:|---------------0--------2---3-----------
A:|----0---2---3---------------------------
E:|----------------------------------------

When you are in first position you will use your first finger to play the notes on the first fret, second finger/second fret, third finger/third fret, and so on. Your fingers will correspond with the same number as the fret you are on when you are in first position.

If you shift your hand so that your first finger is playing the notes on the second fret, second finger/third fret, third finger/fourth fret, etc. then you are in second position. Your position on the guitar is always determined by your first finger.

If you play the excercise correctly you will have an A Minor Scale:

A B C D E F G A

LESSON OBJECTIVE:

To learn how to read and use guitar tab to play songs.

PRACTICE:

1. Use what you've learned in this lesson to play these two easy songs

2. Try playing more songs with guitar tab.

LEARN MORE:

Here is some more information to help you understand guitar tablature

"WALK-UP" THE GUITAR FRETBOARD

Assuming that you are right handed, the fingers of your left hand will be used to press the strings down on the guitar fretboard. Your right hand will be used to strum or pick the strings. The fingers of your left hand are numbered like this:

1 = first finger
2 = second finger
3 = third finger
4 = fourth finger

When playing notes on the guitar in FIRST POSITION:

Your FIRST FINGER plays the notes on the Fretboard between the First Fret and the Nut.

Your SECOND FINGER plays the notes between the First Fret and the Second Fret

THIRD FINGER/THIRD FRET

FOURTH FINGER/FOURTH FRET.

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EXERCISE:

1. Strike the first string with the thumb of your right hand. This is the OPEN E string.

2. Now place the first finger of your left hand on the first string behind the first fret. Press down. Strike the string again with the thumb of your right hand.

3. Next, move to the second fret with your second finger and repeat the process. Continue moving up the first string until you have used all four fingers.

4. After you’ve reached the fourth fret, move to the second string and repeat the exercise. Practice this on each string.

E = 0 |1----|2----|3----|4----
B = 0 |1----|2----|3----|4----
G = 0 |1----|2----|3----|4----
D = 0 |1----|2----|3----|4----
A = 0 |1----|2----|3----|4----
E = 0 |1----|2----|3----|4----

I call this the Walk-Up Exercise and it’s a great way to build strength and coordination skills. It will also help develop the necessary calluses for the fingers of your left hand. In musical terms this exercise is referred to as a CHROMATIC SCALE, which is just another way of saying HALF-STEPS! You should practice it slowly everyday trying to get a clear sound from each fretted note. Be sure to keep the first knuckle (the one closest to the nail of each finger) bent. Push directly down on the string, being careful not to bend it. Your fingernails should be short enough to allow you to push the strings down without interfering.

LESSON OBJECTIVE:

1. Know the difference between half-steps and whole steps on the guitar fretboard.

2. Memorize where half-steps and whole steps occur in the MUSICAL ALPHABET.

3. Use the Chromatic Scale to develop left and right hand coordination skills, finger calluses, and strength.

PRACTICE:

1. Play the Walk Up Exercises on the guitar fretboard everyday. Go Forward and backward. Focus on clarity of tone (sound) with an even tempo (speed).

2. Play through these Speed and Coordination Exercises for extra practice.

LEARN MORE... Test Your Fretboard Knowledge Here

Introducing the Guitar Fretboard

"Learn the entire neck of the guitar, play any chord and any scale!"

Introducing..

The guitar fretboard, or neck, is divided by metal strips called frets. The NUT, is the white plastic strip found at the base of the headstock. The metal strip that is located on the neck just above the NUT, is the FIRST FRET, next is the SECOND FRET, then THIRD, etc... as seen below:

NUT>|-1st-fret->|-2nd-fret->|-3rd-fret->|-4th-fret->|etc...

This pattern continues as you move UP the neck toward the BODY of the guitar. The distance from one fret to the next is a HALF-STEP. When you start on an open note of any string and move UP the neck one fret at a time you will notice the sound of the string getting higher. Likewise, when you move DOWN the neck toward the HEAD of the guitar the sound gets lower. It is important for you to realize that you are moving FORWARD on the guitar fretboard both numerically and alphabetically as the sound gets higher and BACKWARD in the same manner as the sound gets lower.

Let's look at the fifth string (open A) as an example:

FRET -----0-|-1-|-2-|-3-|-4-|-5-|-6-|-7-|-8-|-9-|-10|-
STRING---A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G--|-

As you can also see from the example above, when you move from the open A on the 5th string to B on the 2nd fret, you must SKIP ONE FRET. This distance is referred to as a WHOLE STEP. If you continue up the 5th string you will notice the distance between each letter of the MUSICAL ALPHABET is a whole step EXCEPT:

B|C and E|F

In music these tones, B|C and E|F, are always a HALF-STEP apart. All the other letters are a WHOLE STEP apart.

In the previous lesson you learned that the letters of the MUSICAL ALPHABET are:

A B C D E F G

These letters represent NATURAL tones and correspond to the WHITE keys on a piano.

The frets in between the NATURAL tones relate to the BLACK keys on the piano and are known as SHARPS (#) or FLATS (b).

Whenever a NATURAL tone is raised a half-step it becomes a SHARP tone.

Whenver a NATURAL tone is lowered a half-step it becomes a FLAT tone.

If you begin with the open A on the 5th string for example, and move up the guitar fretboard to the 1st fret you have raised the A NATURAL to an A Sharp.

If you begin with B on the 2nd fret and move down to the 1st fret you have lowered the B NATURAL to Bb.

--0-|--1st--|2nd|
--A-|A#-Bb|-B-|

Now you may be wondering what on earth all this has to do with playing the guitar. Well, NATURALS, SHARPS, and FLATS, are a fundamental part of all music. Knowing how they apply to the guitar fretboard will enhance your understanding of scales, chord structure, reading standard notation, & playing lead guitar.

Choww..

How the Guitar Strings are Identified

Knowing how the guitar strings are identified is foundational to everything else you will learn on the guitar. You will find this first lesson to be very easy and straight-forward, but don't overlook it's importance! With that said, lets begin!

Did you know that you already understand something about playing the guitar? That’s right! Seven simple letters:

A B C D E F G

These seven letters make up the MUSICAL ALPHABET and with them you will learn:

How the Strings are Identified

How the Fretboard Works

How to Read Music

How to Play Chords

It's as simple as ABC!

It's a good idea to become familiar with the various parts of a guitar before we go any further. Take a minute or so right now to examine the graphics below.

ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Here is another graphic showing the parts of an electric guitar.

ELECTRIC GUITAR

The basic guitar is equipped with six strings. They are numbered in order from the highest sounding (first), down to the lowest sounding (sixth).

1 = First (high)
2 = Second
3 = Third
4 = Fourth
5 = Fifth
6 = Sixth (low)

Each one is also identified with a letter from the Musical Alphabet:

1 = E
2 = B
3 = G
4 = D
5 = A
6 = E

Here is a simple acrostic which I have my students use to help them memorize the letters associated with each string. Start from the sixth and move up to the first.

--------------------------------------------------1 = Ears--------
------------------------------------------2 = Big------------------
----------------------------------3 = Grow------------------------
--------------------------4 = Dogs--------------------------------
------------------5 = And-----------------------------------------
----------6 = Elephants-------------------------------------------

They are referred to as OPEN tones when played in this manner.

LESSON OBJECTIVE: To memorize the letters and numbers associated with each string.

PRACTICE: Play the open by starting on the sixth string and moving to the first. Say the acrostic out loud as you hear the sound of each tone. Then repeat the process saying just the first letter of each word in the acrostic. After you have memorized the letters associated with each tone in this order, try saying them in reverse by starting on the first and moving back to the sixth.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Click here to learn about the different types of guitars and how to hold one.

I hope you enjoyed your first lesson on how to identify the guitar strings. Now you're on your way to learning how to play the guitar!

But you can speed up the entire process and...

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Learn To Play The Guitar in 30 Days...
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(you'll receive more learning material, including audio and visual aids.)

Or...

Go to the next guitar lesson: INTRODUCING THE FRETBOARD

How To Reduce Feedback

If you've performed live on stage or even a casual jam with your friends at band practice -- one of the most annoying things guitarists have is a thing called FEEDBACK!

If you don't know what feedback is -- it's that terrible high pitched sound that comes from speakers.

It usually happens when you place your microphone too close to the speaker or play your guitar directly in front of the amplifier.

Not only does this damage your ears, but it puts your audience off when they come to hear you play!

Now I'm not an expert on the dynamics of feedback. But I have performed on stage many times and have learnt a few tricks to avoid feedback from occurring...

The first step is to turn down your treble on your amplifier. Too much treble invites feedback so don't have too much treble in your amplifier settings.

The second step is to turn the volume on your guitar up only 3/4. Don't turn your volume up full as this is invites huge feedback! Always leave a little room on your volume, so don't turn it up all the way. Only 3/4 and I guarantee you will reduce feedback at least 80% with this trick.

One other trick is to turn down the gain or distortion on your amp. When you play softly, you can turn your gain or distortion full. But when you start playing with some serious volume, turn your gain only 50%.

You will still get the same sound and distortion, but this is the trick to avoiding feedback from occurring when you play loudly.

Written by ELMORE MUSIC

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