Notes: D F G A C D

Practice over backing tracks in F Major/Dminor.

Ideal practice for guitarists learn different positions, below are some ideas for variation of position.

Play without introducing rhythm, that is at a steady pace keeping each note the same length.

When comfortable in one position try with a backing track.

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Below are some variations and added runs for you to edit and twist to suit your playing.

Try on there own and then try and incorporate into your playing along with backing tracks.

Experiment with bends, hammer ons and pull offs.

Also try sliding into new positions.

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Related Reading:

Scales, Patterns and Improvs - Book 1: Improvisations, Five-Finger Patterns, I-V7-I Chords and Arpeggios (Hal Leonard Student Piano Library (Songbooks))

The first of these patterns is an alternative to the previous articles ‘E’ string based pattern.

The suggested fingers for this pattern are: 1st, 2nd , 3rd and 4th

‘R’ = root note

Click to enlarge images.

By starting the above Major scale pattern at the 3rd Fret gives us the ‘G Major’ scale.

Tabulature of this would be:

The two other patterns I’m going to show you start on the ‘A’ string.

In the above pattern:

The suggested fingers for this pattern are: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th

In the pattern below:

The suggested fingers for this pattern are: 1st, 2nd , 3rd and 4th

By starting either pattern at the 3rd fret you will be playing the ‘C Major’ scale.

Try:

Above pattern played at 3rd fret shown below in TAB

Above pattern played at 3rd fret shown below in TAB:

As previously stated in Major Scale Patterns Part 1 these patterns are movable.

By learning the notes of the guitar and being aware of the ‘R’ root note you can learn all your scales easily and without Tabulature or TAB.

:::Related Articles:::

Major Scale Patterns Part 1

Notes on the ‘E’ string

Notes on the ‘A’ string

Learning Barre Chord

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It will involve patterns and of course learning the notes on the strings.

These patterns are useful because they are movable in the same way that a barre chord is movable.

If you’ve already looked at TABS of scales you may be aware of common patterns.

Below is a common scale pattern,

1 octave major scale pattern.

By playing the above pattern (starting note = red circle with ‘R‘) on the 5th fret you will be playing the ‘A Major’ scale

Below is the TAB(tabulature) version – they should be exactly the same.

If they’re not then you’ve misunderstood.

1 Octave A Major Scale.

The nice thing about patterns like the one above they make you think more and learn the notes rather than rely on tabs.

Let’s look at playing the scale,

The Red circle with the ‘R‘ is the root note – the red circles are fretted by the 2nd finger.

You should be starting this pattern with the 2nd finger on the 5th fret to achieve the ‘A Major’ scale

The Green circles are your 1st finger.

The Yellow circle is your 3rd finger.

The Blue circle is played by your 4th finger.

::: Expanding Further :::

By playing the pattern above starting at different frets gives us different major scales.

3rd fret = G Major Scale

5th fret = A Major Scale

7th fret = B Major Scale

8th fret = C Major Scale

10th fret = D Major Scale

:::Finally:::

It would be good practice to learn other patterns as well as these and I will cover those in future articles.

Also a good working knowledge of the guitar strings and their notes will be imperative to you taking this further.

:::Related Articles:::

Major Scale Patterns part 2

Notes on the ‘E’ string

Notes on the ‘A’ string

Related Reading:

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Also how to play on keyboard/piano.

Staff View: Using Treble cleff

C Major Scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

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Guitar:

Click on image to see larger version on scale.

Again C Major Scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

Playing Tip: Use the same number finger as the fret

Playing Tip: Start with 2nd finger(3rd fret), for the (5th Fret) use your 4th finger then use 1st finger for (2nd fret).

Playing Tip: Start with 1st finger(3rd fret), then use 2nd finger for (5th fret) for the (7th Fret) use your 4th finger.

When you move to the ‘G’ string use your 1st and 2nd fingers for the 4th and 5th frets.

Playing Tip: Start with 1st finger(5h fret), then use 2nd finger for (7th fret) for the (9th Fret) use your 4th finger.

When the scale get’s to the ‘B’ string – move forward so that your 1st finger plays the (6th Fret) – this then allows your 2nd and 4th finger to stay involved without sliding. Do the same when you move onto the ‘E’ string.

Playing Tip: Start with 1st finger(8th fret), for the (10th Fret) use your 2nd finger then use 4th finger for (12th fret).

When you move down to the ‘D’ string use your 1st and 2nd fingers for the 9th and 10th frets.

Playing Tip: Start with 2nd finger(10th fret), then use 3rd finger for (12th fret) for the (9th Fret) use your 1st finger.

When you move down to the ‘B’ string use your 1st finger for the 10th fret.

Playing Tip:

1. Play each Octave backwards as well as forwards.

2. Keep each note even in length, especially when playing backwards. Your playing speed should be the same as playing forward.

3. Use ‘Alternative Picking’ – This the act of playing a down stroke followed by an up stroke.

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Piano:

To play this scale on piano you start on the RED dot and play through the white keys.

Finish on the Green dot

Related Reading:

Scales, Intervals, Keys, Triads, Rhythm, and Meter: A Self Instruction Program (Norton Programmed Texts in Music Theory)

Also how to play on keyboard/piano.

Staff View: Using Treble cleff

G Major Scale: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G

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Guitar:

Click on image to see larger version on scale.

Again G Major Scale: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G

Playing Tip: Start with 1st finger(3rd fret), then use 2nd finger for (2nd fret) for the (7th Fret) use your 4th finger.

Playing Tip: Start with 2nd finger(4th fret), then use 4th finger for (7th fret) for the (4th Fret) use your 1st finger.

When the scale get’s to the ‘B’ string – move forward so that your 1st finger plays the (5th Fret) – this then allows your 3rd and 4th finger to get involved.

Playing Tip: Start with 2nd finger(10th fret), then use 4th finger for (12th fret) for the (9th Fret) use your 1st finger.

Playing Tip: Start with 4thd finger(5th fret), then use 1st finger for (2nd fret) for the (4th Fret) use your 3rd finger.

As you move down the strings try and hold your position, play the 3rd and 5th fret with your 2nd and 4th fingers.

When you get to the next string you should use your 1st and 2nd fingers.

Playing Tip:

1. Play each Octave backwards as well as forwards.

2. Keep each note even in length, especially when playing backwards. Your playing speed should be the same as playing forward.

3. Use ‘Alternative Picking’ – This the act of playing a down stroke followed by an up stroke.

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Piano:

To play this scale on piano you start on the RED dot and play through the white keys.

Don’t play the white key with ‘F’ written on it in the diagram.

Instead play the BLUE dot then the GREEN dot(Octave) this finishes the scale.

Related Reading:

The Complete Book of Scales, Chords, Arpeggios and Cadences: Includes All the Major, Minor (Natural, Harmonic, Melodic) & Chromatic Scales - Plus Additional Instructions on Music Fundamentals

Look at the C-major scale

C D E F G A B C

Find the sixth note. (The submediant). That note is ‘A’.

Now write a scale, starting on the ‘A‘,and proceed upwards for one octave.

A B C D E F G A

Now if you have already looked at how major scales are created you should know that Cmajor has no sharps or flats. This is the same for Aminor which has the same key signature as it is the relative minor of Cmajor.

So to find the relative minor of a major scale, find the sixth note of the major. That note is the note upon which the relative minor would be built.

The type of minor scale you just learned to construct is called a natural minor scale. Sometimes you may see them referred to as “Pure minor“.

There are two other types of minor scales you need to learn: the harmonic minor and melodic minor.

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HARMONIC MINOR:
To form a harmonic minor scale, take the natural minor, and raise the seventh note. To change the A-minor scale above into a harmonic minor scale, we would raise the seventh note, the ‘G‘ to become a ‘G#’. Here it is:

A B C D E F G# A

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MELODIC MINOR:
To form a melodic minor scale, take the natural minor, raise the sixth AND seventh note on the way up, and put them back to their “natural” state going down. Because the melodic minor looks different going up than it does going down, you must write a melodic minor ascending and descending. Here is a A Melodic minor scale:

A B C D E F# G# A G F E D C B A

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You should learn all these types of minor scale.

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Determining Key Signatures of Minor Keys
Hopefully you should know how to use a major scale, find the note upon which the relative minor scale will be constructed, and write the three different types of minor scale.

But what happens when you are asked to write the key signature of Aminor ?

As you know, a minor scale and its relative major will share the same key signature. In the case of A-minor, you know that ‘A’ is the sixth note of Cmajor scale. Simply go up a whole tone, plus a semitone. This will get you the relative major. So a whole tone plus a semitone above ‘A’ is ‘C’. C-major will use the same key signature as A-minor.

If you’ve understood the page dedicated to major scale construction you will already know that C-major has no sharps or flats. So now you also know that A-minor has no sharps or flats as well.

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TONE, TONE, SEMITONE, TONE, TONE, TONE, SEMITONE

So if we use Cmajor as an example,
C D E F G A B C

So Using the following:

TONE, TONE, SEMITONE, TONE, TONE, TONE, SEMITONE

We can make all major scales:

Lets use Dmajor as an example:
D E F# G A B C# D

Other ways of working out scales can be done like this:
For scales that have sharps(#)
If we start with C major

C D E F G A B C

Go up to the fifth degree of the scale to G and start following the musical alphabet through to the octave.

G A B C D E F G

Retain the sharps (#) from the previous scale – (with Cmajor we have no sharps or flats)

Add a sharp (#) to the seventh note:

G A B C D E F# G

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So using this again:

G A B C D E F# G

Go up to the fifth degree of the scale to D and start following the musical alphabet through to the octave.

D E F# G A B C D

Retain the sharps (#) from the previous scale – (with Gmajor has an F#)

Add a sharp (#) to the seventh note:

D E F# G A B C# D

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Follow this through and you will get all the major scales that have sharps in their key signature.

A major scale has the notes: A B C# D E F# G# A

E major scale has the notes: E F# G# A B C# D# E

B major scale has the notes: B C# D# E F# G# A# B

F# major scale has the notes: F# G # A# B C# D# E# F#

C# major scale has the notes: C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#

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Major scales with flats (b)
Again using Cmajor as our starting point.

C D E F G A B C

Go up to the fourth degree of the scale to F and start following the musical alphabet through to the octave.

F G A B C D E F

Retain the flats (b) from the previous scale (Cmajor has no sharps or flats)

Add a flat (b) to the fourth note

F G A Bb C D E F

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So following this through:

Take Fmajor:

F G A Bb C D E F

Go up to the fourth degree of the scale to F and start following the musical alphabet through to the octave.

Bb C D E F G A Bb

We now have our next major scale that has flats in it – this being Bb major

Retain the flats (b) from the previous scale (Bb major already has, as you can see a Bb)

Add a flat (b) to the fourth note

Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

Bb major scale has the notes Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

Eb major scale has the notes Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

Ab major scale has the notes Ab Bb C Db Eb G Ab

Db major scale has the notes Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db

Gb major scale has the notes Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb

Cb major scale has the notes Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb Cb

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Each note of a scale has a name – below using Cmajor as an example – the table shows both the name and the number of each degree of the scale – the numbers are always represented by a roman numeral

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