Scales

[Don Cherry]

I've only just found this site, but it looks great already. I've been playing for about two years, but am starting to get serious about it rather than just playing around. Anyways, I have started to take on scales, but I am wondering, there are so many scales out there, so which ones should I start with? Further, what the heck is a mode?

Thanks.
Don (Good Canadian Kid) Cherry

[FINGERPICKINGOOD]

Hey don! Whats up man? Welcome! Well - youve got a good question there. There are LOTS and LOTS of scales out there. But most musicians will tell you that the Major scale is the most important. For lots of reasons, but mainly becuase the interval system is based off of the major scale. For example, the intervals for the major scale are

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The intervals for the minor scale (aeolian)

1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7

Ever heard somebody say - play a flat third? or lets sharpen the 7th.

Thats what they are talking about - its ALL based off of the major scale. You should learn the major scale first and then all its modes.

What are modes?

Modes are all the formations or fingering patterns that make up the whole scale. Lets say you diagramed ALL the notes of a scale you know over the whole fretboard. Obviously you have the "box" or pattern that you knew as the scale, and that box contains ALL the notes in the scale - just not ALL the octaves of the notes in the scale. How do you know where all the other notes for that scale are on the rest of the fretboard? Well, there are different boxes or patterns that have the exact same notes as the orginal pattern.
http://www.zentao.com/guitar/modes/modes-2.html

This is a link to one of the modes lessons on this site. Scroll down, the first pattern you see is the 1st mode of the major scale (its technical term is Ionian but most people call this - the Major scale). Now the next one down is the 2nd mode, next one down is the third mode, so on and so on. If you look closely youll see that all seven of these patterns share the same notes - and basically its the same scale, each mode just shows you where the notes for that scale are on the whole fretboard. So if you know all the modes, you can then use a scale ALL over the fretboard. Cool? Kinda difficult to understand - especially when im explaining things! Let us know if you have any questions.

[StoneDragon]

Hi Don,

For playing purposes, I would recommend major and minor pentatonic. These scales are the meat and potatoes scales. They form the foundation of major and minor playing.


For theory purposes, You have to start with the major scale. Everything else there is to learn hinges on how well you know the major scale in every key and all over the fingerboard.


I'd recommend that you go to the Theory Menu (http://www.zentao.com/guitar/theory/), start at the first lesson and work your way through each of them in order.


Finger,

Don't mistake the pattern for the mode. They are related but only very slightly. Modes aren't limited to what pattern or position you are playing in. Any one of those 7 patterns can be any one of the 7 modes. it's all in how you line them up on the fingerboard relative to the chord you're playing against and where you resolve your lines within the pattern.

[FINGERPICKINGOOD]

Thanks for keeping me straight stone! :)

[Don Cherry]

Thanks guys, will keep at it.