Lesson 7
It's time to learn your first scale. A scale is a series of notes that start on a root note and finish on the octave of the root note. The word scale comes from the Latin word "scala" which means ladder. It's a good idea to think of a scale as a ladder with the rungs of the ladder representing the notes of a scale. As you can ascend or descend a ladder the same can be done with a scale. There are many types of scales and they differ from each other by how many notes they contain and by the order of the notes (step pattern).
A very popular scale used in many kinds of music and especially Blues and Rock is the Pentatonic scale. The Pentatonic has 5 different notes, hence the name PENTAtonic.
Note - Tonic is another name for root note.
Example 1 - A Minor Pentatonic
This diagram is a scale window which is the same thing as the chord window except it shows scales rather than chords.
Note - Numbers indicate what fingers to use. The root note is the first note of the scale.
Example 2
This is a two octave ascending then descending A minor Pentatonic scale written in tablature.
Tips
- Use the correct fingers when playing the scale.
- Pick the scale with down and upstrokes.
- The left hand thumb should lower to the middle of the neck when playing the D,A and low E string and be hooked over the neck when playing the G,B and high E strings. See video clip.
Video Download
You might be wondering what scales do. Well, lead guitarist's create their solo's using the notes from a scale. The idea is to use the notes creatively and not just play up and down them. Techniques like Slides, Hammer-ons, Pull-offs and String bends are all used in conjunction with scales for lead playing.
String Bends
A String Bend changes the pitch of a note. The E,B and G strings are the most commonly used for string bending, although all 6 strings can be bent. The string can be bent either upwards or downwards but bending upwards usually gives more control. The best finger to use is the 3rd finger with fingers 1 and 2 supporting the 3rd. Hook your thumb over the neck and use your right hand to palm mute any strings physically above the string being bent. The most important thing to watch out for when bending is the pitch. It is essential to bend to exactly the right pitch otherwise it could sound awful. The most common bends are Semi-tone and Tone bends. A Semitone is the distance of 1 fret.
Example 3
This is 2 notes a semitone apart played on the 7th and 8th fret on the 1st string.
Video DownloadExample 4
This is a Semitone bend played on the 7th fret on the 1st string. Once the 7th fret is bent a semitone it becomes the same pitch as 8th fret played normally.
Note - The ascending line indicates a string bend and 1/2 denotes a semitone A tone is the distance of two frets, a semitone 1 fret.
Video DownloadExample 5
This is 2 notes a tone apart played on the 7th and 9th fret on the 1st string.
Video DownloadExample 6
This is a tone bend played on the 7th fret on the 1st string. Once the 7th fret is bent a tone it becomes the same note as the 9th fret played normally.
Note - An ascending line indicates a string bend. 1 denotes a tone.
Video DownloadNote - It's also possible to play one and a half tone bends (3 frets worth) and even 2 tone bends (4 frets worth).
Tip - If your Bends don't sound clearly try using more pressure with your left hand fingers.
Setting Up Your Guitar and Amp
These are the Marshall Rock-Kit guitar and amp settings used by us for the sound file recordings that accompany this lesson.
