| LEAD: | The Fretboard | Warming Up | Pentatonic Scales |
| The Blues Scale | Basic Blues Riffs | The Major Scale | Root Notes |
| Octaves | Vibrato | Bending | Alternate Picking |
| Practicing | Hammer On | How to Solo | Scale Finder |
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The most important scale to become comfortable with
is the Major scale. It is the familiar 'do, re, mi' scale and
is commonly
used over major, major 7th, and power chords. Also known as the Ionian
mode, the major scale is probably the most widely recognized of all the scales,
and as such, is an excellent place to begin learning about scales in general. . The major scale is essentially no more than a series
of whole steps and half steps, played in the following order: W W H W W W
H . The table below explains. |
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W = Whole Step = 2
Frets
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H = Half Step = 1
fret
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It's a bit easier to understand if we examine these intervals as they apply
to the notes of the scale.
(W)(W)(H)(W)(W)(W)(H)
C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
Here are a couple of basic fingerings for the C major
scale. As you play these scales, be sure to play the notes in order
(C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C), and perhaps most important, LISTEN to the notes while
you play them. Try to become familiar with the sound of the major scale
itself, to the point that you can instantly recognize any major scale
just by hearing it. (This isn't as difficult as it may sound; every
major scale sounds more or less the same, regardless of what the root
note is. After practicing for just a short while, you'll know exactly
what I mean.) |