Scales

Yeah I can use some help here also.

@Busted Salmon 1968 wrote:

Scales used to intimidate me aswell.

The first scale I learned over the whole fretboard was C major. I learned all the natural notes and became quite familiar with different runs and licks in C major and eventually could fly up and down the natural notes of the fretboard with my eyes closed.

Little did I know, that the whole time, I had also been learning the A minor scale! Along with D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian, and B Locrian.!!

After mastering C major I decided to move it all down a semitone and learn it all again, Do the whole thing over in B major. I figured it was going to take just as long as it took me to learn C major all over the neck, BUT, it didn’t even take half the time! Since I was allready familiar with the licks and runs in C major, everything was the exact same just down 1 fret. All the gaps and jumps and leaps were the exact same, just down a fret. I continued on to learn many many more scales and modes in many many different keys. Though, i still have a long way to go.

So basically, once you get used to the intervals used a scale in any key, learning it in other keys becomes much easier IMO.

Hope that makes sense.

Ok thanks. This might help actually.

My approach to scales, or anything for that matter. Is to practice in context.

For example.

I spent along time only knowing about 4 or 5 major scales. Since everything I knew how to play was based around those keys. Practicing all the others seemed pointless since I was not using them.

Since then my repotire has led me to be able to play many tunes in every key, so for this reason I had to memorize every scale.

Even still, its not just a matter of sitting down and saying ‘ ok I will now practice all the major scales ‘

I’ll pick a tune. If improvising over this tune requires me to know 2 major keys, a Diminished scale and maybe the Jazz minor. I would work through each scale, then work on them in context.

First practice playing through the first 4 bars. Lets say it was the tune ‘ Take the A trane ‘.

The First 4 bars include Cmajor and Dm7b5. So I will just work on jamming through those two chords. The scales would be Cmajor and Ebmajor/ D locrian. Or, and more realistically, I would practice C major and C harmonic minor.

Then Dm7 G7 C. All these chords fall in the key of Cmajor. But I would probbably jam on several ideas using things like D harmonic minor and Galtered

And so forth. Practice in context. Create melodic ideas in context to the song your learning. Practicing this way, at least for me, helps with memorizing not just scales but practical applications for improvisation.

Mike.

I know what you mean. It can be tedious practicing complex harmonic concepts, espescailly when your feeling un-inspired.

Then again, forcing some kind of structure into your playing will eliminate that problem of getting sidetracked, and comming out after a few hours practicing with little to show for it.

I don’t have much of a problem practicing/memorising scales. A good start point is of course C major/A minor in 1 position 2 octaves, memorise the pattern, become familiar with notes, how the scale/licks/patterns sound. Then try to move to another position using notes from the scale, mix positions together using different fingering and overall try to remember sound, and feel of the scale. To memorise positions, try to search for 1 octave 2/3 string patterns on the fretboard. This should really help you to memorise where the important notes are. It’s important at the beginning that you start and end from the root of the scale.
Really, at some point learning scales becomes kind of a searching. And everytime you hit the right note you memorize the scale better.

And really, you don’t need to use much of your practice time on scales to learn them. I find it better to use my time on other stuff, like reading theory, practicing technics, chords and generally only use part of my time on scales.

Good luck with your searching!
Marcin