Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Why Every Guitarist Should Learn Guitar Scales

By Jonathan Hart


A solo might be a performance of rehearsed phrases, or it may be improvised on the spot. Improvisation is common in rock and jazz guitar. If one wants to be good at improvisation, it is necessary to learn guitar scales.



Improvised solos sound more inspired, so it is easy to make then sound good. Also, each improvised solo is new. Whereas rehearsed solos are simply a repetition of something that was heard before.

Fortunately, guitar is a very easy instrument for playing scales. This is partly because transposing to different keys is as simple as playing the same finger pattern at different positions on the neck.

The best way to begin learning is to learn how to play a major scale using a finger pattern that can easily be played at any position on the neck. This not only allows one to easily play in any major key, but also allows one to play all of the relative minors. All this variation increases the potential of musical expression.

Furthermore, this same finger pattern can be adapted to play a blues scale, or to play in any of the musical modes. Learning other finger patterns for the major scale allows versatility. After this, additional patterns, such as whole tones, can be added to the mix.

The more scales one knows, the more one can experiment with improvisation. Multiple notes played together adds chords in solos, or single notes of familiar chords may be used as well.

Experimenting with solos leads to experience of great musical expression. Learning to imitate recorded solos can also give ideas. Over time, one becomes proficient at traditional styles, and also develop his or her own style as a performer. Improvised solos increase the enjoyment of both the performer and the listener.




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