Scales
I'm not a great guitar player, but its a hobby and a welcome distraction from many of lifes stresses and strains. Learning scales always seemed like a big hurdle, an exercise that I didn't really want to do. I recall asking a guitar teacher I once had was there a trick to it and the guy got all snotty with me. Well there is a trick and I'm going to show you here.
Minor PentatonicI'm going to do this based around the Minor Pentatonic scale although you shouldn't get too caught up in what key its in. It applies to other scales too just with different patterns.
The Pentatonic scales are often thought in 5 boxes at differing positions on the fretboard, and each position can be moved to change key. My approach is based around 2 patterns and knowledge of where the root notes are.
[1] Minor Pentatonic Pattern #1 (right)
The first pattern is very simple, and because its a pentatonic scale in this case, there are only 5 notes over 3 strings. I'm calling it the (right) pattern because the second note is to the right (if you play right-handed) when you are ascending the scale.
In tab terms - in G minor Pentatonic, that would be something like:
D------------3-5-
A--------3-5-----
E----3-6---------
[2] Minor Pentatonic Pattern #2 (left)
The second pattern I refer to as the left pattern, as the second note is to the left of the first note when playing ascending runs.
In tab terms - again in G minor Pentatonic, that would be something like:
G--------------------12--
D--------------12-15-----
A--------13-15-----------
E----15------------------
or with open strings starting off on the 3rd fret G:
G--------------------0-
D--------------0-3-----
A--------1-3-----------
E----3-----------------
[3] The bottom B and E strings
But like anything, there's a catch. The pattern needs to be moved up one fret when you're working on the botton 2 strings when in standard tuning.
With the adjustment, you'll notice that our 2 patterns have been pieced together to give the first form Pentatonic minor box.
E------------------------3-6-
B--------------------3-6-----
G----------------3-5---------
D------------3-5-------------
A--------3-5-----------------
E----3-6---------------------
[4] Finding the root notes
The two patterns and the shift up on the E and B strings will allow up to play scale runs all over the fretboard without necessarily knowing where the next note is, because it will simply be in one of the two patterns.
But to be effective, we need to know where the root notes are on the fretboard, and the trick to this is to learn the scale relative to the chords that tell us where the root notes are.
Note that it is not necessarily about the chords being correct/right/best for the scale, its about the chords acting as a guide to the root notes in the key of the scale you want to play.
For simplicity we are going to go with the major bar chord shape as the first chord, and in this chord we actually have 3 root notes.
For the G minor pentatonic, the G major barchord would be voiced thus:
E---3R--
B---3---
G---4---
D---5R--
A---5---
E---3R--
The second shape is the barred A shape, which contains two root notes.
For the G minor pentatonic, the G major barred A shape would be voiced thus:
E---10---
B---12---
G---12R--
D---12---
A---10R--
E--------
We've now covered 5 of the 6 root notes in any standard tuned 6 string guitar over 12 frets.
The third chord is a bit of a problem, we can get the missing root with a D shaped chord, or a barred C shape which will also connect up to chord 2. Unfortunately the D shape beyond its voicing in D may be a bit difficult to remember if you don't use it in other keys regularly, and the barred C shape is a bit difficult to form and likely not all that often used either.
The compromise is to use the relative minor, in this case a barred minor chord. So if we are looking for a G root, we would use the Em barred chord shape.
For the G minor pentatonic, the E minor barred shape would be voiced thus:
E---7---
B---8R--
G---9---
D---9---
A---7---
E---7---
You may find other chords work better for you in this scenerio, the standard barred chord, barred A shape and barred relative minor are generally pretty easy to find and remember on the fretboard, so that is why I chose them.
Update: Ok, I'm now covering Major and Minor Diatonic and Pentatonic sales. These still require practice, but with this information you should find it a lot easier to play these scales on your guitar. Enjoy.
Additional:
Major Diatonic Scale diagrams - Ionian Mode
Minor Diatonic Scale diagrams - Aeolian Mode
Major Pentatonic Scale diagrams
Diatonic and Pentatonic Patterns Summary
Pentatonic modes:
Pentatonic Derivative Mode Patterns
Hints:
Once you start to get a feel of the scale/mode of choice, you should start practicing with a metronome. Also consider using alternate picking (up, down, up, down) when practicing, as when you get faster it will really help your technique.
