Scales for Guitar

Now that you have proper left and right hand guitar picking technique under your belt from the previous guitar lessons, it’s time to dive into the scales. This major scale guitar lessons examine the scales and the harmony that accompanies them. Also, we’ll look at which scales work for different chord progressions.

The guitar scales that we’ll conquer first in these learn to play guitar series is the guitar major scale. The major scale is the most commonly used scale, and if you’re familiar with “Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do” when learning guitar scales you’re familiar with the major scale.

Major Scale Guitar theory and form

At this point in learning how to play guitar, you’re most likely aware that the frets on the guitar are not spaced arbitrarily. Each fret is the interval of ½ step, or ½ of a whole tone. Simply put, a guitar scale is simply an arrangement of ½ steps and whole tones. Obviously, different scales have those ½ steps and whole tones in different order. But specific scales, such as the major scale, keeps that formula in tact (same order of ½ steps and whole tones) regardless of which note you choose as the root.

How to Play Guitar Scales: G major scale

For example, let’s play a G major scale in a linier form, the entire scale on one string. This is demonstrating the whole and ½ step arrangement of the scale.

Obviously, two ½ steps make up one whole. As you can see from the scale above, you’re either play every two frets (a whole step), or one fret (a ½ step). The formula for a major scale it terms of steps is: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

So, after you play the root, you move up two fret (whole), up two more frets (whole), up one fret (half), up two frets (whole), up two frets (whole), up two frets (whole), up one fret (half), which is the root again (but one octave higher).

How to Play Guitar Scales: Bb major scale

And as we stated before, that formula stays the same no matter which note you choose to start your major scale on.
Let’s try B flat:

How to Play Guitar Scales: E major scale

Notice that the pattern of whole and half steps is the same as the previous guitar major scale.
Now, let’s try E:

Major Scale Guitar: Review

When learning guitar scales it is important to recognize patterns because they can often be repeated with different starting notes, making the task of learning how to play electric guitar much easier. These beginner guitar lessons should give you a grip on the pattern of whole and help steps being used to create a major scale. No matter which note you start on, if you follow this pattern, you’ll create a major scale.

Of course, this is the linier form, in future guitar lessons we’ll use the other strings so you’ll be able to play the scales without having to change positions.