But lets just revise the major scale, its a really good idea to know all those notes in open position so try and remember the names of the notes, not just the shape. Tabs have been provided showing how this pattern can be used to play both a c and a g major scale. Pdf includes notation, tab, fingering, some diagrams, tips, and more. In this exercise, you play the notes of the c major scale on 1 string. Click here to download this free printable guitar scales chart pdf to your computer. G major e minor pentatonic scale guitar scales the pentatonic scale is a favorite of many guitarists and its easy to see why. Free printable guitar scales 14 most commonly used scales. There are many things to know if you want to master lead guitar and soloing, but this introduction lesson should have given you the basics for exploring more advanced topics, such as alternate picking, guitar scales. Theres more than one way to play the c major scale on a guitar.
For example, if you are playing a c major scale, starting on the 5th string 3rd fret with your second finger, the pattern goes up using fingers 2,4,1,2,4,1,3,4. The first c major scale guitar pattern were going to look at is ideal for beginners this is the. Okay, so it may sound more complicated, but the truth is it is super easy and i. For each scale, you can learn a number of different shapes and patterns, depending on the zone of the fretboard youre working on. If you are interested in learning about modes and guitar scales, it should be pointed out that the c major scale is effectively the same scale as the c ionian scale. Common open and closed scale patterns up to four sharps or flats, two octaves some three octaves, and examples of open string shifts. Every major scale, regardless of key, has the same intervallic structure, 2212221. Master the minor pentatonic scale using the whole fretboard. T he next step is to learn the major scale in all 5 caged positions.
To get started youll play through the lowest possible scale form in c major first. Again, the key is determined by the first and last notes of the scale, so if you were asked to play a c major scale on the guitar, you would simply start scale on the eighth fret. C major caged scale fretboard patterns c major scale 3 notes per string fretboard patterns. In this bass lesson for beginners we are going to learn how to play the major scale on bass guitar. See my free guitar chords and scales app to learn what chords go with these scales.
C major scales for classical guitar from my ebook see info below. It forms the foundation for all music theory and is also very practical and can be used creatively easily, thought learning to use reactive listening will help you use it musically. If you know the intervallic structure of a scale, any scale, you can create it in any key. They are distinguished by the fact that the tonic root or 1 st note of the scale starts on the 6 th, 5 th or 4 th string. Also included at the bottom of the app are the 5 scale patterns for memorizing these scales and a pdf download of all keys in. As you can see by the key signature below it has no sharps or flats. For the purpose of the series of lessons on guitar modes, we are going to treat c ionian and c major as an identical scale. This figure shows the 5 forms of the caged system in their open positions. Major and minor scales, modals, diminished, triads and seventh arpeggios, exotic. Caged scales for guitarc major learn jazz standards.
When indicating a major key, you can omit the word major. Jan 16, 2019 one of the first soloing concepts you encounter when learning how to play guitar is the major scale. This means that, although learning scale patterns is the simplest way of learning scales on a bass guitar, you still have to know the notes on the fretboard. If you need any suggestions for fingerings, watch the accompanying video. Basic guitar chords, keys, and scales december 30th, 2004 1 the key of c this is the first section of what i hope will be a series of useful articles, designed to help the.
The major scale is used as the basic starting point for many scales and modes. Free printable guitar scales, ready to download and use. As mentioned before, each major scale is a different combination of white and black keys except c major which contains no black keys, always in. The major pentatonic uses the root, second, third, fifth and sixth intervals its actually a major blues chords scale with the fourth and seventh notes missed. The c major scale in scale form 5 always begins from the root note on the estring. Major scale modes each note in a scale can be considered the root. The major scale actually makes up of 6 other scales natural major, dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, natural minor and locrian.
In order to cycle through as many areas of scale practice as possible and not get bored it is important to have a plan. The major scale in 7 positions terence wright guitar. Find out how to play the c major scale on your guitar with fretboard diagrams, chord charts, and more. Of course to do this stuff i assume you know the c, f and g chords properly and are familiar with the notes in the open position and the open position c major scale. Learn how to play the c major scale with the notes shown on the guitar. Just select your string tuning standard tuning is default, click the link that says go then click a key link. Heres a free guitar scales pdf ebook 22 pages with plenty of scales and arpeggios patterns. On this page youll find c major guitar tab, notation, and scale patterns fretboard diagrams for electric, acoustic and classical guitar.
This method greatly helps to simplify the almost endless number of chords that you find in a chord book by replacing them with 5 forms that you can apply across the fretboard. Caged system guitar easy guide, 2019 update major scale. Playing some harmonic intervals can present technical issues on the guitar. Apr 12, 2016 c major scales for classical guitar from my ebook see info below. Sep 04, 2019 as with many things in guitar playing, there are several different ways of playing a c major scale on guitar. The major scale is very important because it is the basis of the tonal music we know, that is, it is the. Change the root note to see different variations of the major guitar scale. The second last scale form in c major takes place from the root of c on the lowe string. Your plan should cover several days and allow for varied work on each. This tutorial explains the concept theory of the c major scale and how to apply it practice to the guitar. Meter, scales, and key signatures because the white keys running from c to the next c an octave higher form a sequence of notes that have minor 2nds only between ef the 3rd and 4th notes and bc the 7th and 8th notes, musicians call that series of notes a c major scale.
For instance if you start the major scale on the 6th note you are playing the natural minor scale and the 3rd degree of the minor scale is the major scale. Just the same pattern repeated along the neck, over and over. The key of c is the simplest key to learn the scale because it contains no accidentals no sharps or flats. Below is a guitar fretboard chart with all of the notes in the key of c major in the open position. Using the c major scale as an example of a parent scale. Major scales for classical guitar pdf sheet music, tab. Notes are displayed in the fingerboard diagram with blue color with the root notes indicated by darker color. C major scale positions on the fretboard online guitar. In this section, we work with the c major scale, but you can use any scale you like. Pdf total guitar the ultimate scale book guilherme mauricio. Okay, so it may sound more complicated, but the truth is it is super easy and i will show you throughout this post. When a scale is called a mode, its in reference to its parent scale. Guitar scale patterns in the pattern above, the tonic notes of the scale are represented by green circles.
Scales open major scales riffs chords ultimate guitar. A position is a sequence of notes following a major scale interval pattern within 4 or 5 frets. Bass scales chart a free printable bass guitar scales. This forms the 5 positions of the major scale as follows. We have our first pattern which is the open c major scale, now instead of playing that scale from tonic to tonic, lets try something different. T his guitar scales fretboard chart generator will show you all the major and minor guitar scales and modes with tons of customizable tunings. Therefore, in order to play a c major scale, you would play any of the major scale patterns shown above with the root note positioned at c note on the bass fretboard. On the diagrams above we have just seen a scale pattern with all the notes on one single string.
The pattern below is the basic major scale pattern. Major scales for classical guitar pdf beginner to intermediate classical guitar. Now its time to delve into some scale sequences, which are just patterns within patterns, let me explain. Begin the scale with your second finger, and do not adjust your hand position while playing. Also included at the bottom of the app are the 5 scale patterns for memorizing these scales and a pdf download of all keys in standard tuning. The caged method takes its name from the fact that there are only five basic chord forms. How to play the major scale on guitar complete guide. Scale major 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 5th pattern root note c guitar tuning.
Most notes on the guitar can be played in at least two places on the fretboard. The ebook contains the most important scales for beginners, such as major and minor, but shows also more advanced. One of the first soloing concepts you encounter when learning how to play guitar is the major scale. Be sure and check out the intro to scales on the guitar lesson for more info on how to read horizontal guitar scale charts like below. Free guitar scales pdf 84 scale and arpeggios chart.
These are the three ways you must know to play the diatonic major scale bass. In this lesson youll examine and play through the 7 forms of the major scale on. On the guitar, we have different options, as the same note exists on different strings unlike the piano keyboard, on which the. This pattern is actually major scale pattern one, except played in open position, if want to know how it sounds then check out the audio sample below this chart. Though its called the major scale, its also referred to as the ionian mode, so knowing both names prevents. This scale is used to solo over major family chords, especially tonic major chords, such as major, maj7, maj9, 6, and 69 chords. Oct 19, 2010 for example, if you are playing a c major scale, starting on the 5th string 3rd fret with your second finger, the pattern goes up using fingers 2,4,1,2,4,1,3,4. The major scale is the most important scale in western music. If you are stuck in the pentatonic box then this is the way out of it. To form the major scale for a caged position, we take the position with just the root notes then add the other notes of the major scale to that position.
For example, the c produced by playing the a string at the 3rd fret can also be played at the 8th fret of the bottom e string. Jul 04, 2019 major scales for classical guitar pdf beginner to intermediate classical guitar. The scale chart below shows the c major scale all across the entire fretboard. They each have a distinct pattern that can be played anywhere on the neck of the guitar. Below is a pattern for playing a c major scale starting at the 8 th fret of the low e string you can find out how to read scale patterns on this page. That same pattern repeats itself starting on the 6th string in the 8th fret, the 4th string on the 10th fret, the 3rd string on the 5th fret, the second string on the th fret. To play each scale on the guitar, begin with the correct fret on the first string the top string as you. Scale major 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 fullth pattern root note c guitar tuning. In the twooctave pattern, the first root note is on the 6th string, 8th fret. The first position of the major scale, seen above, is the standard way of playing the major scale, which most guitarists know. When practicing a pattern for the first time, it is a good idea to first visualize the pattern or shape in your mind, going up and down the scale etc before you try to physically attempt it.
Even if this pattern is right, its also inefficient as we have to move our hand up and down the neck the get the note. You can play the c major scale below in open position. For example, the key of c major corresponds to the c major scale. Added scale formulae and major scales with formulae applied. The key of a minor shares the same key signature as c major because both keys contain identical notes. Playing a scale on 1 string is a good ear training exercise and a good preparation to play what you hear.