Guitar Scales: How to Play Guitar Scales

In our previous guitar lessons we looked at the linier form of the major scale guitar (all the notes in the major scale being played on one string). This next series of free guitar lessons is going to examine will look at playing the guitar scales using all six strings on the guitar. These beginner guitar lessons also will look at some of the quirks of the guitar, so you’ll learn how to play guitar scales taking advantage of these peculiarities.

After you have started to learn to play guitar, you might have noticed that some notes can be played in as many as five (or even six on some guitars) places on the guitar. Look at this high E as an example:

So, in order to take advantage of the ability to the same note in several places, these guitar scales lessons are going teach you how to play guitar scales in this case the major scale in five different forms.

Guitar Scales: G major scale form 1

Guitar Scales: G major scale form 2

This next version of the G major scale starts on the 2nd scale step, so it’s not going to have the same “Do, Re, Mi” sound. Rather than an actual scale, think of this as notes within the G scale.

Guitar Scales: G major scale form 3

As the previous form starts on the second scale step, this next fingering starts on the third scale step. Once, again, this will not start with the “Do Re Mi” sound, however these are notes within the G major scale.

Guitar Scales: G major scale form 4

We’re going to continue starting the guitar scales on a different note, but we’re going to skip the fourth scale step and start on the fifth scale step. Unlike the previous examples, this one does start off sound like a typical major scale – that is until you hit the seventh note in this exercise.It will sound “off” to you, but fear not; it is in the G major scale (it just not in the D major scale.)

Guitar Scales: G major scale form 5

As with the previous example, this form is going to start on a different scale step. This one start on E: the sixth scale step. And once again, we’re going to move away from the “Do, Re, Mi” sound. And, once again...fear not...ll these tones fall within the G major scale.

Guitar Scales: G major review

When learning how to play guitar and working on these guitar scales studies, it’s important not to get seduced and only play major scales starting on the root note (We were using G as our root note). The studies in these guitar lessons had you playing throughout the neck of the guitar: no small feat.

In fact, you can be proud of yourself; you used the entire neck of your guitar applying these learn to play guitar lessons! And, as you most likely already know, the guitar neck repeats itself at the twelfth fret (open sixth string is an E: sixth string fretted at the 12th fret is also an E, only one octave higher). So, starting on the fifteenth fret you can play the first form of the major scale; on the seventeenth you can use the second, and so on.

Also of note: you don’t need to stop on the highest note on the charts, you can play the same notes that are notated on the sixth string on the first string; the guitar scales charts are designed to show two octaves for clarity.

After you work and learn the guitar scales forms (the finger patterns) you can apply them with a different root note. Try moving each of the patterns up two frets and try them with A (first finger, sixth string, fifth fret)...and so on.
Really, you should be proud of yourself, you’re doing great.