| When you learn to improvise you have most | | | | 1. First I suggest that you commit this scale |
| likely come across various guitar scales. | | | | to memory and that you practice playing it |
| But, how do you practice guitar scales in | | | | from the lowest note to the highest and then |
| order to use them in your playing? In this | | | | back again. |
| lesson you will learn how to make music of | | | | |
| scales! | | | | 2. Use correct left hand fingerings. That |
| | | | means that you play the notes on the first |
| What is a pentatonic scale? | | | | fret with your left hand index finger, the |
| | | | notes on the second fret with your middle |
| A common major scale consists of seven notes. | | | | finger and the notes on the third fret with |
| A C-major scale for example have these seven | | | | your ring finger. |
| notes: | | | | |
| | | | 3. Play small sequences using only a few of |
| C D E F G A B | | | | the notes in the scale. For example: |
| | | | |
| The note after the B is a C and the scale | | | | 05 35 04 24 04 35 05 or: |
| starts over again in another octave. A | | | | |
| pentatonic scale consists of five notes. In a | | | | 23 12 32 01 31 12 23 |
| pentatonic C-major scale the notes F and B | | | | |
| are omitted. This makes for less collisions | | | | 4. Work on creating melodies using the scale. |
| between scale notes and notes in the chords | | | | This will help you understand where the notes |
| used. In other words, you can use a | | | | you hear in your head are on the fretboard |
| pentatonic scale together with more chords. | | | | and also make your pentatonic improvisations |
| | | | more musical and enjoyable for yourself and |
| The A-minor pentatonic scale | | | | your prospective audience. |
| | | | |
| This scale consists of the five notes A C D E | | | | 5. Improvise together with chords. As you |
| G | | | | work with the A-minor pentatonic scale you |
| | | | can use chords to make the guitar solo |
| If we play these notes in the first position | | | | improvisations more interesting. Here are two |
| on the guitar you will have the following | | | | chords that you can use together with the |
| sequence of notes: | | | | notes: |
| | | | |
| 05 35 04 24 03 23 | | | | A-minor: 05 24 23 12 01 |
| | | | |
| The first number tells you which fret to | | | | D-major: 04 23 32 21 |
| press down. The second number indicates which | | | | |
| string to play. 05 means that you play the | | | | As your probably remember, the first number |
| open fifth string, that is, without pressing | | | | indicates the fret and the second number the |
| down a fret. The first string is the bottom | | | | string to play. When you play the chords you |
| string when you play. | | | | can strum them from the lowest sounding |
| | | | string to the first string. For example, |
| We will now play the A-minor pentatonic scale | | | | strum the A-minor chord and improvise a few |
| in the first position of your guitar. The | | | | notes using the pentatonic scale. Then play |
| whole scale from the sixth to the first | | | | the D-major chord and continue to improvise. |
| string will look like this: | | | | Play the A-minor chord again and continue in |
| | | | this way. |
| 06 36 05 35 04 24 03 23 12 31 01 31 | | | | |
| | | | Improvisation is a form of composition and |
| In this scale sequence you will find the note | | | | the musical value depends on how well we know |
| A in two positions. That is, on the fifth | | | | where the notes are on the fret, how focused |
| open string and on the second fret third | | | | we are in the creative process, how well we |
| string. | | | | have mastered patterns and licks that are |
| | | | building blocks that can be used to create |
| What can you do with this scale? | | | | music, our feelings and many more elements in |
| | | | the musical process. |