Custom Search

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Why Every Guitarist Should Learn Guitar Scales

By Jonathan Hart


A musical solo can consist of a performance of a rehearsed and memorized set of notes, or it might be improvised. For much of guitar music, such as in rock and jazz music, improvised solos are more common. To be a good soloist, one must 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.

This finger pattern can be adapted for playing blues or any musical mode for jazz. Learning to play the major scale in other movable finger patterns further increases versatility. Completely new patterns, such as whole tones, only increase the repertoire.

Knowing more scales allows for experimentation during improvising. Solos can also include chords made by playing two or more notes at the same time, or by playing single notes from common chords.

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.




About the Author: