Once you have mastered the guitar playing basics, you will move on to the intermediate stage of your training. In addition to more difficult guitar chords and chord progressions, and intermediate guitar player needs to learn about and play guitar scales.
What are Guitar Scales?
Basically, guitar scales are combinations of notes that are either ascending or descending, and within one octave. The most common of all scales are the major scales, which are actually the foundation for all other types of scales. Major scales always have an odd number of notes, and begin and end on the same note. For example, if the scale you are playing begins with a C, it is going to end with a C. Another type of scale you will learn how to play is the pentatonic scale, which is made up of the first six notes of a major scale.
Why Do I Need to Learn How to Play Scales?
Scales are the basis of any guitar solo, and once you understand how scales work, and learn how to play them, you will be better able to understand more about playing lead guitar. Once you can play scales, you will be ready to start creating your own really cool riffs and solos. Even if you do not plan on playing lead, you will still need to learn guitar scales. Not only is playing scales a great way to warm up your fingers before really getting into playing, they are also necessary for anyone who is interested in learning how to play classical guitar.
While you study guitar scales, you will actually learn about so much more. You will be learning all about pitch, harmonics, sharps and flats, and why some note and chord combinations sound awesome, while others don’t sound so great when played together. Once you have this knowledge, you will find it easier to start creating your own great sounding guitar songs.
Play it Right First, then Play it Fast
When you are learning how to play scales, it is important that you start out slowly, and learn where each and every note is. After all, if you really want to learn how to play guitar, you will want to learn absolutely every little thing that you can. As you get used to playing the scales slowly, you can start to play them faster and faster, until you are really good at playing them with a lot of speed. Again, this is a wicked exercise for getting the fingers all loosened up for a long session.
Practice, Practice and More Practice
Many people think that practicing guitar scales is boring, but scales are an essential part of learning how to play the guitar. If you don’t know how to play scales, you will not be able to play a number of styles, including classical and lead guitar. So, you should set aside a certain amount of your daily practice time to work on your scales, at least an hour a day. It won’t be long before you’re flying through them.
