Scales
- Your homework is to learn these scales in other keys and positions all over the fretboard. As always, focus on the shapes, not the particular positions I show examples in. Also, I don’t care what fingers you use to hit these notes. Sometimes, lessons focus on fingerings, but I say just do what works.
- The chromatic scale is all twelve notes. It’s used in The Flight Of The Bumblebee. It has an ambiguous, atonal sound. It’s up to you where to start and end it, since you can literally play any note you want. Here’s a way to play it starting and ending on E:
--------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- -------------------------------------9- -------------------------10-11-12-13--- -------------11-12-13-14--------------- -12-13-14-15---------------------------
- Minor scales have the following notes: root, major second, minor third, fourth, fifth, minor sixth, and minor seventh. If you choose A as your root, and you play these intervals, you get an A Minor scale:
Root: A Major Second: B Minor Third: C Fourth: D Fifth: E Minor Sixth: F Minor Seventh: G ---------------------- -------------------G-- ----------D--E--F--12- -A--B--C--12-14-15---- -12-14-15------------- ----------------------
- Major scales have the same notes as minor scales, but they have major thirds, sixths, and sevenths instead. So if you choose C as your root, you get a C Major scale:
Root: C Major Second: D Major Third: E Fourth: F Fifth: G Major Sixth: A Major Seventh: B ---------------------- -------------------B-- ----------F--G--A--16- -C--D--E--15-17-19---- -15-17-19------------- ----------------------
- Phrygian scales have the same notes as minor scales, but they have a minor second instead of a major second. This scale has a dark, “Eastern” sound. If you choose E as your root, you get an E Phrygian scale:
Root: E Minor Second: F Minor Third: G Fourth: A Fifth: B Minor Sixth: C Minor Seventh: D ----------------- ---------------D- --------A-B-C--7- -E-F-G--7-9-10--- -7-8-10---------- -----------------
- Harmonic Minor scales are the same as minor scales, but you change the minor seventh into a major seventh. This is a very “neo-classical” sounding scale that Yngwie Malmsteen uses extensively. If you choose A as your root, and you play these intervals, you get an A Harmonic Minor scale:
Root: A Major Second: B Minor Third: C Fourth: D Fifth: E Minor Sixth: F Major Seventh: G# ---------------------- -------------------G#- ----------D--E--F--13- -A--B--C--12-14-15---- -12-14-15------------- ----------------------
- Dominant Phrygian scales have the same notes as phrygian scales, but they have a major third instead of a minor third. This scale sounds even more “Eastern” and exotic than the regular phrygian scale. If you choose E as your root, you get an E Dominant Phrygian scale:
Root: E Minor Second: F Major Third: G# Fourth: A Fifth: B Minor Sixth: C Minor Seventh: D ----------------- ---------------D- --------A-B-C--7- -E-F-G#-7-9-10--- -7-8-11---------- -----------------
- Pentatonic scales have five notes and are similar to minor scales. You remove the major second and minor sixth from a minor scale to get this one. This scale is used in all kinds of different music, from metal to traditional Chinese music. If you choose A as your root, you get an A Pentatonic scale:
Root: A Minor Third: C Fourth: D Fifth: E Minor Seventh: G ---------------- -------------G-- -------D--E--12- -A--C--12-14---- -12-15---------- ----------------
It’s commonly played in a “box” shape, which consists of the same notes, with some added octaves:
---------------------5-8- -----------------5-8----- -------------5-7--------- ---------5-7------------- -----5-7----------------- -5-8---------------------
Nice lesson, U should do a 2nd scales lesson, going through all the modes of The Major, Harmonic minor and melodic minor. I guess u’ve got better things to do lately though (:.
so lets say if i play any c chord can i play any c scale over it? for example like can a C phrygian scale be played over a Cm chord? or does it have be like a Cm scale over a Cm chord
@JD
Heheh well yeah dude, I could do tons more lessons but I just wanted to get the basics out.
@joseph
But if you want to be exact, you should probably play scales and chords that match. In your example, a C minor and C Phrygian both have a minor third, which would be Eb. But to extend your example, you wouldn’t want to play it over a C major chord, because that one has a major third. But once again you could do it anyway if you like how it sounds. Also, a lot of metal songs that use phrygian scales play both the minor and major third. Hopefully that’s not too confusing.
Technically you can do whatever you want!