Help Needed- learning scales

[danglybanger]

I've been playing guitar "seriously" for about 3 years now, and I suppose my technique is alright... I can copy a lot of things, I know open chords, barre chords and all that, but I never bothered to learn scales.

I know scales are the first thing a lot of players learn right off the bat, but I'm still basically clueless about them. I've sat down and tried to learn them numerous times, but nothing ever seems to come from it... I get overwhelmed, and frustrated, and never remember anything. It seems to be too much information to take in.

So how do you recommend I go about learning scales? Should I memorize all the notes on the fretboard first? Which scale should I start with? Whole tone, minors, pentatonic?

How did you go about learning scales? Any useful resources?

This is really frustrating me. I feel like more of a collector than a player, especially when I see other people pick them up so fast. It's stuff like this that makes me want to sell all my guitar sh!t and get another hobby.

I'd like to get a teacher, but I'm limited by time/money enough as it is...
thanks for any help.
slade

 

[vinterland]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

I don't see any real reason to memorize scales... if you know basic theory like what the sharps and flats are you can pretty much make any scale you need. I guess what I'm saying is to learn the sharps and flats theory wise.

Try wholenote.com for some good interactive lessons on scales.

 

[GandLMan]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

Best thing I can say is . . . bite off one pattern at a time, take on pattern, learn it all over the guitar, learn to work and improvise with that pattern, then move on.

This is a bit time consuming, but eventually you'll be able to be comfortable anywhere on the neck

 

[TheLizardKing]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

I have the same trouble, what scales do you all use? So far I only know Minor Pentatonic which is basically what Jimi Hendrix used, but Id like to play Like Jimi Page and he used Major scales..so..Any help?

 

[vinterland]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

I have the same trouble, what scales do you all use? So far I only know Minor Pentatonic which is basically what Jimi Hendrix used, but Id like to play Like Jimi Page and he used Major scales..so..Any help?

Once again you need to learn your sharps and flats to learn your major scales for instance: D major- D E F# G A B C#... and thats your major scale.

D minor is the minor of F so its essentially a F major scale- D E F G A Bflat C

 

[TheLizardKing]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

zSSo learn the notes in the scales and on the fretboard?

 

[vinterland]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

yes essentially... if you know what note makes a major scale you can move all around the fretboard... then from there you could go minor... then to harmonic minor... ect.. but what it all comes down to in the end is knowing what makes up a major scale

 

[SpeedDemon]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

well i am not gonna give ya much in the way of how i learned scales because i didnt do it in a particular way, here a too GREAT sites for learning everything.

www.wholenote.com
www.guitarknowledgenet.com

well there's 2 sites is use constantly for scales and thoery and such, good luck.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

Get Andres Segovia's Major and Minor Scale Studies. It is a very simple and concise place to start and learn the neck.

 

[Zepper]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

I play guitar for about 8 months(not much ok..) and I started learning/practicing scales but I personally think it's not much usefull to learn all that, I personally prefer to understand how it works rather than memorizing the whole thing, once you understand and know where to play the notes just improvize a bit and there's the solo.
Some simple lessons here>> http://www.fenderplayersclub.com/woodshed/beginners/beginners.htm
but to get better fingers learning all those scales patterns might be useful.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

Personally, I started to learn scales with the minor pentatonic (learn this one and you can jam over pretty much any blues tune and a lot of rock tunes) . . . just pick one of the box patterns and learn it inside and out (memorize where the root note, the b3 and the 5th are). Then try actually jamming. Once you have done this for all of the minor pentatonic scales, you can use the same scale shapes for the major pentatonics . . . And if you've made it to the point where you know them, then you can start learning the modes (start with Ionian and Aeolian which go well over major and minor progressions respectively)

It seems like a whole lot, but over time you'll get the hang of it. Just work out a little practice routine and you'll be fine.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

Sounds like you need a good guitar teacher. A good teacher will connect the dots 10x faster than you will ever do on your own, besides showing you the practical application of the scales that you do learn.

 

[danglybanger]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

thanks for all the help guys... I've learned about half of the major scale pattern in the last week (through furious application), and am working on memorizing the roots, 3rds, 5ths etc. I figure from there I can move on to other modes, thanks for all the advice.

I have a little book called the gigbag scale book or something like that, pretty useful, it gives a page to about 10 r so modes for each note, and about 5 ways to practice each of them. Seems to be working fine for now, but I really do need a teacher to connect the dots. Unfortunately, my financial situation precludes that.

I really do feel I really have to understand scales and theory and such because I have a small amount of natural music ablitity, so I guess I have to compensate that way. My boss once told me that when you're told to mindlessly do things (as I have basically been doing for the last few years on my axe) your success level will never be more than 1/3. If you understand what you are doing, however, you become more proficient at doing even the most simple things, just because you know what your'e doing. That's probably obvious to everyone else around here, but it came to me as a bit of a revelation.

Best part is practicing all these scales really is a workout... my picking hand is much more under control and my left hand is playing catchup (used to be the opposite, except my left hand never was too great
thanks guys, I'll keep plugging away...
slade

 

[usagi]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

I think knowing the scales is important if you're soloing. It also helps in song writing. If you want a comphrensive look at scales try Adam Kadmon's Guitar Grimoire Scales & Modes. Harmonic minor is cool scale to learn as well as pentatonic and Major. One ting that helped me get a feel for soloing around the scales is just noodling around in the different positions slowly so I get the feel of each of them. Then work on playing the scales up and down the neck on single strings then two strings. Also once you feel comfortable with all the positions try running them together,oving from one to the other.

 

[y2stevo]

Re: Help Needed- learning scales

My boss once told me that when you're told to mindlessly do things (as I have basically been doing for the last few years on my axe) your success level will never be more than 1/3. If you understand what you are doing, however, you become more proficient at doing even the most simple things, just because you know what your'e doing. That's probably obvious to everyone else around here, but it came to me as a bit of a revelation.

Now you've got it!!