Welcome. This is a post that precedes my last educational tutorial: Guitar Lessons - How I gain freedom on the instrument? - Connecting patterns (Major Scale). It will help you to have a better understanding.
It is a translation from spanish to english of my article: Lecciones de guitarra - La escala mayor (1/3) - ¿Por qué es tan importante? - ¿Cómo tocarla en todo el instrumento?
It also contains instructional videos and graphics with better quality.
Lets begin
When we are self-taught we do not learn enough because we do not have enough tools that allow us to advance in a balanced and efficient way in the musical field, it is my motivation for this post; provide you with a tool to improve the aspect you want in your way of making music.
Today, my contribution is about the major scale or Ionian Mode. It is basically a system made up of 5 patterns that will allow us to play the major scale and its respective modes ("Gregorian Modes", "Greek Modes", or simply "Modes") throughout the guitar fretboard.
Knowing this scale of memory and being able to play it on the instrument is essential. I could explain why referring to 3 factors:
- Understanding the major scale helps us to have mental references of intervals (distances between sounds: semitones, tones, etc).
- It will allow us to understand harmony and build chords from the sounds that the Major Scale have, many of these chords are commonly used in all popular and classical music.
- One of the modes that the Major Scale contain, the Aeolian Mode or Natural Minor Scale can become two other essential scales that also give basis to all the music that we know: The Harmonic Minor Scale and the Melodic Minor Scale, respectively.
Introduction to the method, opinions and advice.
These patterns do not necessarily start in the root of the Major Scale, in the whole pattern we can get another patterns of the Major Scale or Ionian Mode. In the graphs that I will show we will be able to see where the roots or tonic of the major scale are found within the patterns, independently of what tonality we are.
Patterns and their application to the instrument:
Having made clear a few things about the subject of this post, we can proceed to the practical application of this musical learning tool.
The examples of the patterns are in G major due to their geometric arrangement in the guitar fretboard which provides a certain "visual comfort". Keep in mind that these patterns can be transported to all regions of the instrument in order to locate us in whatever key we want.
All the examples are played in eighth notes, eighth note triples and sixteenth notes with a metronome. I'll recomend you to do the same, it will help you to be more accurate.
Note: Remember, in each graphic, the fret that appears highlighted in red is where the tonic or root (note that gives the name of the major scale in question) it's find.
Pattern number 1
Pattern number 2
Pattern number 3
Pattern number 4
Pattern number 5
1 -These patterns can be transported to any area of the guitar fretboard, in order to locate us in the tonalities or modes that we want.
2 - Before playing them, try to visualize them in the fingerboard, close your eyes and imagine which region you are going to play, fingering, etc. Afterwards, open your eyes and see where you want to touch it. Now that you have it mentally, touch them at a slow speed, preventing any type of error, in this way you will memorize the correct technique and fingering.
3 - Play them safely, despite being a technical exercise is recommended to play them with the same grace with which we would play a song that we like, that each note sounds good.
4 - Do not forget to improvise! Experiment with the various combinations of sounds offered by the major scale, play with them and compose melodies that you like, always give a creative touch to everything you practice.
All this educational material is original, created by me based on the method that my master Gonzalo Micô teach me
The software that i use to make the guitar graphics is Neck Diagrams
You want to learn more? I invite you to see my other articles:
Guitar Lessons - How I gain freedom on the instrument? - Connecting patterns (Major Scale).
Design: @Cre47iv3