Guitar Scales
Just because you know umpteen billion scales, it doesn't mean you have to use them all in a solo.
~Kirk Hammett
Importance of guitar scales
The guitar scale is the basis from which all chords come. Without the scale, there is no structure to music.
When you practice playing scales on the guitar, you begin to hear intervals, you begin to gain strength and dexterity in your fingers, you start to hear musical relationships, you form a basic understanding about chord formulas. The benefits of learning scales is endless.
BUT, be careful that you don't simply practice going up and down the scales in your guitar lessons. You should examine and explore scales. Try to find the life in each one. And understand the theory behind each one.
Types of guitar scales
There are several guitar scales. Some may be considered modes of certain scales. But we'll go ahead and lump them all together even though technically a scale mode isn't the same thing as a scale.
- major scale / aka ionian mode
- minor scale / aka aeolian mode
- major pentatonic scale
- minor pentatonic scale
- blues scale
- chromatic scale
- guitar modes
- dorian mode
- phrygian mode
- lydian mode
- mixolydian mode
- locrian mode
- harmonic minor scale
- melodic minor scale
- whole tone scale
- whole-half diminshed
- half-whole diminished
Beyond guitar scales
It's all well and good to practice these scales. You should. but learning how to apply them is something else. Learn and Master Guitar is a great instructional series that can truly help you become a better and more knowledgeable guitarist. Check it out.