The major scale is easiest to see by looking at the white keys on the piano. Learn the major scale on guitar lead guitar lessons. The key of a minor shares the same key signature as c major because both keys contain identical notes. Well go over the mechanics and memorization of the major scale, and youll start to practice this scale shape with a jam track. How to play the major scale on guitar complete guide. You can get to the 6th step of any major scale by either going up six steps from the root or down two steps. The first position of the major scale, seen above, is the standard way of playing the major scale, which most guitarists know. Major scale 5 pos system condensed major scale 5 pos system detailed major scale 7 pos system condensed major scale 7pos system detailed major scale 12 pos system condensed major scale 12 pos system detailed.
You should learn that major scale pattern above to start with and learn the visual and auditory relationships between its intervals. We will be in the key of g major for this lesson and will be using two different major scale shapes. If you want to learn guitar scales you need to understand the mood they create. You will almost certainly know the sound of the scale if only from the sound of music song video of the famous song. Major scales for classical guitar pdf beginner to intermediate classical guitar. It is used in improvisation, chord construction, diatonic harmony, and much more. The major scale is the foundation of almost all western music. Pdf includes notation, tab, fingering, some diagrams, tips, and more. For the nature of this article, we will illustrate all the scales in. So, the c major scale and the a minor scale share the same key. It contains a huge range of movable scale, chord and arpeggio fingerboard diagrams allowing you to play in any key. Remember, 1, the first note of the scale, is the root note, so if you started the scale at the 3rd fret on the low e string, the 1st note would be g so it would be the g major scale. Most people think of major scales as being very happy sounding and minor scales more sad. Relative major and minor scales share the same key signatures.
The white keys with a black key in between are a whole step apart and the ones without a black key in between are a half step. Free printable guitar scales 14 most commonly used scales. Master the major scale in this dvd i guide you through a whole system to help you make music from the major scales all five positions, all over the guitar neck. You can get more diagrams in the tuning of your choice by using my interactive web app here.
Open position major scales for guitar lesson printout pdfdap if you would like to learn how these open position major scales for guitar are used to create different bass runs to connect chords, be sure and check out my rhythm guitar mastery course. Welcome to video three of the lead guitar quickstart series. These are not lessons, but supplements to my lessons. Printable pdf ebook method containing 40 major jazz guitar licks. Learning a few or learning the entire list below will certainly improve your technique with guitar and turn you into a shredding superstar. The major scale in 7 positions terence wright guitar. When practicing a pattern for the first time, it is a good idea to first visualize the pattern or shape in your mind, going up and down the scale etc before you try to physically attempt it. The t t s sequence is called a tetrachord and was used by the ancient greeks who come up with the system chords in the key.
Learn how to play, form, and use the major scale effectively. In the examples below, well be using the c major scale. Here is the scale major scale chart that you downloaded from guitar 1 2 printable guitar major scale chart. Major and minor scales tab by lessons ultimate guitar. In order to cycle through as many areas of scale practice as possible and not get bored it is important to have a plan. In this bass lesson for beginners we are going to learn how to play the major scale on bass guitar these are the three ways you must know to play the diatonic major scale bass. The c major scale is an absolute must for guitarists and musicians in general. All major scales use this shape on some of the scale fingering charts there is a number with an to indicate the fret. It is used in quite a few types of music including.
If you learn the major scale and its applications, you will be able to understand how chords are constructed its not that complicated, know why your favorite songs sound the way. Your plan should cover several days and allow for varied work on each. For example, you can form a c major chord by playing ceg. First, dont hurt yourself, especially when youre just starting. Go to the 6th step of the major scale and build an 8 note scale in that key. This is under construction but will be done in the coming weeks. Positions of the major scale guitar lesson liveabout. Pdf downloads and charts here is an overview of all the charts and other resources that are available on this site to view and also to download. Similarly, you can form a d minor chord, by playing dfa. Welcome to the third lesson of the lead guitar quickstart series. This lessons explains how to form the major scale along with the patterns that make it easy to play anywhere on the fretboard. This lesson is by no means meant to be complete, but gives you a good overview of the most.
The major scale the five patterns free guitar lesson from. The major scale is the cornerstone of all western harmony, when we describe other scales it is always in relation to the major scale and the naming conventions for chords and all forms are harmony come from the major scale. In this lesson, well be taking a look at the major scale. The major scale is the most important scale youll learn as a guitarist. To play each scale on the guitar, begin with the correct fret on the first string the top string as you.
Jan 16, 2019 one of the first soloing concepts you encounter when learning how to play guitar is the major scale. Each week, well supply you with essential information on music theory and delivery it in a way that is easily comprehensible. Next notice how each mode has one or two notes that makes it unique from the major or natural minor scale. Intervals are the spaces between each note in a scale. We will be in the key of g major for this lesson and. To get started youll play through the lowest possible scale form in c major first. As youll soon discover, its not just a scale for the purposes of soloing, but a system for organising other important musical elements. Guitar major pentatonic scale chart printable pdf subject. Its a good idea to stay mostly on the thinner strings, thick strings low sounds tend to get mushed up in the bass frequencies and not sound as good. Just the same pattern repeated along the neck, over and over. As you can see by the key signature below it has no sharps or flats.
Mastering the major scale guitar theory, technique, and. Guitar scales exercises with tabs jazz guitar lick. The foundations of the most famous guitar solos of all time lay in the use of guitar scales. From popular music heard on the radio to trash music, the major scale can be found at the core of all types of music.
The major scale is very important because it is the basis of the tonal music we know, that is. Bass guitar scales chords and arpeggios is a printable pdf book for bass guitarists. Jan 15, 2019 youtube video lesson link hd the following one octave major scale patterns are useful for gaining control over synchronization of the hands, general precision, and coordination. Each one connects to the next and continues down and up the fretboard. Nov 29, 2016 c harmonic minor scale for example, if you wanted to play a b maj, min, ect. Finding the major scales on a guitar is not as hard as you might think. This pattern is actually major scale pattern one, except played in open position, if want to know how it sounds then check out the audio sample below this chart. Next steps for beginners here we take a look at our c major scale. The natural minor scale provides a counterpoint to the major scale. The notes of a chord can be derived from the major scale.
The major scale is actually the basis of western music as we know it. Also includes the five closed major scale patterns over the entire fretboard. Looking at the notes that make up the scale will be our first foray into music theory on a single note level. The major scale on guitar the major scale should be one of the first scales you learn on guitar, because its one of the most commonly referenced in music especially western music. The major guitar scale has a upbeat happy sound to it. Here are some free pdfs used to supplement my free video lessons. This scale sounds sad and melancholy and the contrast from the major scale is stark. This tutorial explains the concept theory of the c major scale and how to apply it practice to the guitar.
Major scales for classical guitar pdf sheet music, tab. G major e minor pentatonic scale guitar scales the pentatonic scale is a favorite of many guitarists and its easy to see why. This scale is used to solo over major family chords, especially tonic major chords, such as major, maj7, maj9, 6, and 69 chords. Printable pdf ebook method containing 40 major jazz guitar licks with tab, standard. It also helps to think of modes as major 3 or minor b3, which depends on the third. In this guitar lesson we are going to take a look at how to apply the major scale to the caged sequence. If you move the root to the 7th fret it becomes b major. Stick to the scale notes other notes are likely to sound horrible, and the point of the exercise is to explore the major scale for improvising. This is arguably the most important scale you can learn. In this article, well go over how the major scale is made, a few shapes that you can use to play it on the guitar, and how it. If we were to label one scale as the most important in music, it would be the major scale.
There are three main types of guitars, the steelstring acoustic. Common open and closed scale patterns up to four sharps or flats, two octaves some three octaves, and examples of open string shifts. This scale is transpositional and can be played in, and should be practiced in, all keys. The major scale can be considered the most important scale in music and forms the foundation in which other scales are constructed. W whole step or 2 fret interval h half step or 1 fret interval. Now its time to delve into some scale sequences, which are just patterns within patterns, let me explain. Pdf total guitar the ultimate scale book guilherme.
For the nature of this article, we will illustrate all the scales in the key of a. Just switching the notes around gives it another sound and feel. The root note defines the key in which we play the scale, in other words. Jul 04, 2019 major scales for classical guitar pdf beginner to intermediate classical guitar. For myself and my students, ive always thought of scales as the best way to warm up both hands. The root notes in this case a, are shown by the black dots, the other notes in the scale are shown by the red dots. In this lesson we cover the major scale, which is the foundation for the other scales and chords youll learn as a guitarist. For example if you take the g major scale above and move it to the 5th fret root, it becomes a major. The major scale is your starting point should be the first scale you learn, because it is the basis of chords and other types of scales. The scale chart below shows the c major scale all across the entire fretboard. Note that the scale is made up of two sequences of t t s joined by a t. The chords in the key of c major, that is the chords that can be made using only notes of the c major scale are. Printable downloadable major pentatonic scale guitar chart. If you dont know what the caged sequence is you should go check out the lesson the caged guitar sequence.
Its the foundation for all the other scales and chords youll learn in your time on the guitar. Traditionally, guitarists think of the guitar neck as being broken up into blocks of four frets, and, depending on what key you want to play in, your hand is positioned over that block of four frets. This guitar lesson with tabs explain how to practice scales in triads and. The minor scale is much cooler than the major scale. The major scale is used as the basic starting point for many scales and modes.