Questions about learning scales

The more you know, the more you'll be able to do.

But for electric blues, start with the minor pentatonic. After you've learned that, learn where the b5 notes go... that's the only difference between the minor pent and the blues scale. That'll keep you busy for a while.

After that, you'll probably want to look at:

Major scale
Harmonic minor
Dorian

Thanks Noteboat! I "thought" I had the minor Pentatonic with the flattened b down to an art but then realized there were four other shapes to learn.... This brings up another question though - I "thought" that "box" I learned would be the same pattern regardless of where I played it on the neck (of course some keys sounded better than others!), is this the case or not?

Not the case... each position will have its own fingerings.

Take Am - the one you've probably learned is at the fifth fret, using 1-4, 1-3, 1-3, 1-3, 1-4, 1-4 fingering. That gives you the notes C-Eb-F-G-Bb (which then repeat).

If you move to the second position you can get all those same notes... but you now have fingering 2-4, 2-4, 1-4, 1-4, 2-4, 2-4. If you move up to 7th position, the same notes are 2-4, 1-4, 1-4, 1-3, 2-4, 2-4.

That's becase in each position your lowest note is a different one of the pentatonic scale - and the other scale notes are in different positions related to it. Since the scale has five notes, each of the five positions has a different lowest note.

If all you do is take the box you know and move it, you're playing the same scale (probably with the root as the lowest) in a different key.

So if I underand correctly, perhaps the better method of becoming familiar with scales would first learn each and every note on the fretboard, THEN understand the progression of each scale so you'd be memorizing the scale by order of notes as opposed to trying to remember these multiple shapes along the neck?

So if I underand correctly, perhaps the better method of becoming familiar with scales would first learn each and every note on the fretboard, THEN understand the progression of each scale so you'd be memorizing the scale by order of notes as opposed to trying to remember these multiple shapes along the neck?

Learn it however you need to understanding will come with it.

Does anyone have any good links to provide to the UNDERSTANDING of scales? Let's take a pentatonic blues scale, I've learned one freak'n pattern in one key, but I'm totally confused when it comes to both understanding the WHY of the other 4 patterns as well as HOW to play any of these "5 common patterns" in a different key.

I have so many books SHOWING scales..... but nothing yet that is helping me to to utilize them let alone understand them....... Are scales (let's say this pentatonic blues scale for this example) based on a I IV V logic similar to the patterning of chords?

I believe David Hodge has done some articles on scales here at GN. Scaling the Heights I believe it's called ... I'll see if I can find the link for ya. :)

EDIT: Here it is!. :)

I think perhaps between some further searches and the link provided by Bennet, I may be closer to understanding some of this! Everything starts with a GOOD working knowledge of the major scale, then goes something like this:

Major scales consist of 7 notes, with the steps between the notes being W W H W W W H or a 1234567 pattern (ie: CDEFGAC for key of C) or could be played in a different key using this same “formula” based upon the root note… some notes may be flattened depending on where they fall (either whole or half step between the notes) using this W W H W W W H pattern. Would this be correct?

Minor scales are similar only fall under a pattern of notes in this order: W H W W H W W

Major Pentatonic scales remove notes 5 & 7 of the major scale, so you'd be using a 1-2-3-4-6 or a W W H W W pattern

Minor Pentatonic scales can just be thought of as a minor scale, minus scale degrees 2 and 6, and flattening 3 & 7. Therefore a minor pentatonic scale has the formula 1 b3 4 5 b7.

Blues Minor Pentatonic scale from what I see adds a b5 between 5 and the b7 to the above minor Pentatonic for 6 notes being played…..

The “shape” of the scales will change depending on what the root note is, but the “structure” of the scale will not change – correct? IE: the shape playing a C Major scale by first playing the C note on the 8th fret of the low E string would be different than the same scale (same order of notes) if the C (root) note was say first played on the high E string at the 8th fret….

You can find some further information, if you click on the link in my sig.

Greybeard - AWESOME chart!!!! Must admit before last night's mental break through it would have appeared greek, but now that I have "some grasp" the way this chart is put together ROCKS (just like ALL of you helping me out with this!).