Major Scales 101 |
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Major Scales 101 |
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Jul 5 2007, 11:55 PM |
Major Scales 101 Introduction In this lesson we are going to discuss what is probably the most important scale in Western music. The reason that it is so important, apart from the fact that it gets used in a huge proportion of modern songs, is that it is also the foundation of our musical system. We use it as a basis for describing intervals, building chords and specifying key signatures. In most cases, the Major scale is assumed as the norm from which other scales deviate. The only other scale that approaches the prominence of the Major scale is the Minor scale, which is itself derived from the Major scale - which we will look at in a later lesson. With that in mind, lets have a look at it! The Major Scale The Major scale is a 7 note scale, built using the formula: 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 You should be familiar with scale formulae from the previous lessons. Lets have a look at how we would build a scale of G major. Obviously our root note is G, and building up from the formula we get the following notes: G + 2 semitones = A A + 2 semitones = B B + 1 semitone = C C + 2 semitones = D D + 2 semitones = E E + 2 semitones = F# F# + 1 semitones = G So there you have it - a scale of G major has the notes G, A, B, C, D, E, F# G, and as usual you can apply this formula with any other root note to get the exact scale that you want. On the Fretboard How do we play this on the guitar? Well, sticking with our G Major scale, we can construct 7 different boxes - why 7? Well, if we start with our root note of G on the E string, we can play a scale by moving up that single string, and each place we land can be the basis of a new box. However, for Major scales, a couple of the boxes will only be separated by 1 semitone, so be convention we miss these out, leaving 5 boxes, separated by either 2 or 3 semitones. Here they are: And that in a nutshell is the Major scale! This post has been edited by Andrew Cockburn: Oct 11 2007, 05:41 AM -------------------- Check out my Instructor profile
Live long and prosper ... My Stuff: Electric Guitars : Ibanez Jem7v, Line6 Variax 700, Fender Plus Strat with 57/62 Pickups, Line6 Variax 705 Bass Acoustic Guitars : Taylor 816ce, Martin D-15, Line6 Variax Acoustic 300 Nylon Effects : Line6 Helix, Keeley Modded Boss DS1, Keeley Modded Boss BD2, Keeley 4 knob compressor, Keeley OxBlood Amps : Epiphone Valve Jnr & Head, Cockburn A.C.1, Cockburn A.C.2, Blackstar Club 50 Head & 4x12 Cab |
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Mar 8 2008, 04:14 AM |
Well, I believe I grasped the concept behind these scales, but what I was wondering is how important is it to learn all the possible boxes for a certain scale ( I have been through major, major pentatonic and minor pentatonic = 15 patterns to memorize). I mean, since each of the 5 patterns associated with each scale are really the same notes, just played at a higher/lower pitch, I imagine that the usefulness of knowing all the boxes is that I would be able to play notes from a certain scale anywhere on the guitar..but it can get quite tedious, so for a beginner level, knowing one, or maby two boxes out of each scale should be enough to cranck out some music, right? Certainly - you can make an extremely convincing solo out of just one box 2 boxes is better, 3 boxes is great ... you get the picture ! More is better but start using them straight away to get results. Eventually, the aim is that all the boxes run together and you don't need them any more, you have mastery of the entire neck - the boxes are just a convenient way to get there. -------------------- Check out my Instructor profile
Live long and prosper ... My Stuff: Electric Guitars : Ibanez Jem7v, Line6 Variax 700, Fender Plus Strat with 57/62 Pickups, Line6 Variax 705 Bass Acoustic Guitars : Taylor 816ce, Martin D-15, Line6 Variax Acoustic 300 Nylon Effects : Line6 Helix, Keeley Modded Boss DS1, Keeley Modded Boss BD2, Keeley 4 knob compressor, Keeley OxBlood Amps : Epiphone Valve Jnr & Head, Cockburn A.C.1, Cockburn A.C.2, Blackstar Club 50 Head & 4x12 Cab |
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