Scales and Modes for Guitar

We’ve reached the conclusion of Tom Serb’s series on Scales and Modes. If you’ve been following along you’ll know there’s all kinds of scales possible.

Because the starting point of any scale can be shifted to make an entirely new scale, we can quickly get lost in the permutations.

After the pentatonic, major, and common minor scales and the modes, everything else – with one exception – can be considered an exotic scale. Let’s look.

This month, we’re continuing a terrific series from long time Guitar Noise contributor Tom Serb concerning just about every scale you could ever think of.

In our last post we learned there is only one kind of major scale. Now let’s look at the minor scale – and there are LOTS of different minor scales!

Now we’ll get into the grand-daddy of music theory. The major scale is important to theory because it’s the yardstick by which we measure all other scales.

Let’s look at hexatonic scales. Like the blues scale, hexatonic scales are any scales that have six notes.

A lot of blues music is played by adding one note to the regular pentatonic scale. This “blue note” is what makes the blues music sound the way it does.

Believe it or not, scales are your friend. There is no reason scales should scare or confuse guitar players and with Tom’s help we’re going prove that.

Nick Minnion shares his secrets of working out the CAGED system on guitar in these two videos he’s made.

In Part 4 of her series on understanding modes, Beth Isbell looks at each of the seven modes and gives examples of how they are used in songs you may know.

There’s a very simple reason a lot of solos sound more like someone playing scales rather than solos and it all comes down to how you practice. Learn how to solo by learning how to practice soloing.

In Part 3 of her series on understanding modes, Beth Isbell gives practical tips on how and when to use any mode to either an entire song or a chord progression.

In Part 2 of her series on “A Simple Way to Understand Modes,” Beth Isbell walks us through the use of modes to specifically outline simple chords.

Everyone seems to have his or her own “Aha!” moment when it comes to modes. Guitar Noise welcomes Beth Isbell, who kindly shares her modal method with our readers in this multi-part series

Scales are simply notes and, as notes, can be found all over the fretboard. While guitarists tend to learn these scales in set patterns, it’s possible to go beyond those basic patterns and create new ways to get around with your scales. Chris Juergensen shows you how in this terrific article.

In our latest lesson in this series, we look at a basic rock progression and examine the choices we can make in terms of scales for soloing. Plus we get a look at the Mixolydian mode as well as discovering a new use for the Dorian.

Before moving onward with modes, it’s important to grasp the concept of “target” notes as well as to understand that a target note doesn’t have to be a part of the chord in a chord progression. Here we’ll look at how single notes can used to create far more interesting solos than simply using “safe” notes.

Knowing a single major scale opens the world of modal soloing to you, if you know how to read the signs. We’ll take a look at how to recognize when to use the Dorian scale, and also take a moment or two to compare and contrast it with the minor pentatonic scale.

It only takes a single note to change the minor pentatonic scale into the “blues scale.” And what a world of difference that one note can make! As in the previous lessons in this series, we’ll provide you with MP3 sound files in order to help you create your own solos.