Guitar Scales Knowledge

Guitar Scales Knowledge

Q: I want to learn how to improvise. I know very few Guitar scales and hoping to find a book or video to help me organize and learn the important scales.

A: Depending on the style of music that you want to learn there are different scales that are important. I’ll give you a list below and a book that will help you learn these scales:

• 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist gives you the 7 modes of Major. Those are
  • Major
  • Dorian
  • Phrygian
  • Lydian
  • Mixolydian
  • Aeolian
  • Locrian

  Those modes plus the Major and Minor Pentatonic and Blues scale are the most important. They are often used in Rock, Blues or Heavy Metal Player

• New York Guitar Method Primer Book One gives you the same scales as 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist but goes more in depth on sight reading and music theory. It is also part of a series of books meant to take you from a beginning guitarist to a professional musician.
• There are of course many other scales that are used in Progressive Rock, Jazz and Heavy Metal. If you want to learn the previously mentioned scales plus these other scales I would recommend any of these books
  • Essential Scales: Twenty Two Indispensable Contemporary Modes This book also gives you modal sequences for guitar so you can build megachops on guitar.
  • New York Guitar Method Volume OneThis book gives you just about everything you would ever need to know about guitar and scales.

You will also need some Jam Tracks to apply the scales. For this I would recommend Jam Tracks Volume One Improvising with these scales as you learn them is extremely important. You need to build up not only a knowledge of the scale but also a musical knowledge of the scale by jamming with them everyday.

I would also get started with some Music Theory so that you understand how chords and scales are built. This will help you see the interrelationships between them and help you be a better musician. For that I would recommend:

• Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume One
• There is also a video edition of the Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Video Course if you prefer that.
• There is also a Japanese Edition of the Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume One Japanese Edition if you happen to speak that language.
• Music Theory Workbook Volume Two

It is most important to learn the names of the notes or the degrees rather than just learning shapes and fingering patterns. All of these books give you pointers on how to accomplish this.

I should also mention the MetroDrone which is a metronome and a drone and the same time. This will help you to hear each scale in the right key center. This is the beginning of developing a killer ear which is super important if you want to be a great musician.

It is also recommended that you read Bruce Arnold’s Blog at his artist site. It contains more discussion of the musical topics found in these FAQs as well as other subjects of interest. You will also find the “Music Education Genealogy Chart” located here which shows you the historic significance of the music education products found on the Muse Eek Publishing Company Website.

Guitar Scales Knowledge