[gin~n~tonic]

Hey Ya'll,

Ive been playing guitar for about 2 years now and man am i getting bored with just playing chords. I have picked up some fingerpicking from house of the rising sun, hurt,etc. But I would like to start learning some scales. I'm sure some of you have been here before, my question is simple....Where do I begin?

[dadfad]

The easiest place to begin is with the five-note pentatonic scale. I can tell you the note-numbers, etc, but here's an easier way to remember them..... You know the old Motown tune "My Girl"? The intro to that tune... Da-da-dum-de-da-da (how's that for sophisticated theory? ). Anyway, those notes are the major pentatonic scale for whatever key you're playing those notes in plus the next tonic-octave note (where it starts all over again). Pretty simple.

Next simple scale...minor-pentatonic (works for rock 'n roll, rock and blues). Take that same scale above and the pattern you used to play it, now move it three frets up the fret-board. That's your minor pentatonic for the same key! Those two scales will get you a whole lot of mileage.

CODE

This is not a tab-line. It's supposed to be a guitar
neck showing the nut and frets. The numbers shown on
the "strings" are the scale-numbers of the notes, not
a fret number. Pent-notes are the 1,2,3,5,6 notes from  
the seven note major scale. 1=Tonic, 2=the second, etc.
These are two octaves + the third octave tonic note.

G-pentatonic notes:

E|6|-----|-----|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|-
B|3|-----|-----|--5--|-----|-----|-----|-----|--
G|1|-----|--2--|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|---
D|5|-----|--6--|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|----
A|2|-----|--3--|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----
E| |-----|-----|--1--|-----|-----|-----|-----|------
  ^                 ^           ^           ^      
 nut               3rd         5th         7th        


In tab form.....

--------------------------0--3-
---------------------0--3------
---------------0--2------------
---------0--2------------------
---0--2------------------------
-3-----------------------------

Now play that same pattern (box) shown above three frets higher and it's the minor-pent (blues-scale) for the key of G. There are different patterns (boxes) around the neck but that's the first one to learn (you'd be surprised how many guys "made it" without knowing any more.) The other boxes can be figured out from the "My Girl"-trick. Hope that gets you going. And welcome to GTU.

[gin~n~tonic]

thanks dad....that'll give me a start and keep me out of trouble

[dadfad]

No problem. Hope it helps.

[RellDaSlasher]

Pentatonic and Blues scales are good to learn.

[lyra14]

Yep, they're invaluable. Be sure to check out your basic major scale and natural minor scale. Mixolydian too.

[sharky319]

i started with major scales. Dad thought they were more useful in the future in figuring out the more 'complex' scales. e.g harmonic minor, diminished, etc.

[improviduto]

the best place to begin is in GTU's Lesson Forum

[SRVfan2004]

learn the pentatonic minor and dont make the mistake of learning one box. if it has 5 notes it has 5 boxes so learn them all, the idea is to move between the boxes to create varied solos and not just stick in one. after that learn pentatonic major, they are practically the same thing. after learn the natural minor, this is just the "daddy" of pentatonic minor, after learn the major scale. then go onto harmonic minor and the spanish gypsy scale also hungarian minor sounds quite sexual also.

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