Learning Scales on Guitar

Learning to play scales is one of the most important activities as a musician. It might sound like a cliche, but it's true. Once you know the building blocks that comprise each scale you can apply that to any key and instrument. So guitar scales are just like scales on any other instrument.

What makes it different from instrument to instrument is how they are played. For example, on piano, you can play a scale by simply going from left to right. While on guitar you can play the entire scale on one string or across multiple strings.

If you want to learn more about what scales are, check out our previous article.

Learning The Major Scale On Guitar

The first step to becoming a scales master is to familiarise yourself with the major scale shapes on the guitar. Once this is fixed into your fingers and memory you can pivot to other scales such as the minor scale.

Major scale pattern on guitar

If you follow this blueprint of whole and half-steps, you can play the major scale in any key you like; W - W - H - W - W - W - H.

Check out our guitar scales cheat sheet for more major scale patterns. Or take a look at our guitar scales poster.

Here are some famous songs that use the major scale.

• The Beatles - Let It Be (in C major)

• Stevie Wonder - Isn’t She Lovely (E major)

• ABBA - Mamma Mia (In D major)

• Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky (in F major)

Let’s Start Playing

A great exercise is to play a major scale starting from any note in the first four frets using the major scale pattern above as your guide. As you play the major scale name each scale degree as you play it. Be sure to start with the tonic, which is number one.

Memorise and Divide

The major scale pattern that we just learned is very useful but it can be difficult to memorise. There are 7 interval steps, but we can break it down into smaller bite-size sections. The first bit to recognize is that there are only two semi-tone intervals in the scale.

The semitone steps in the major scale, between degrees 3–4 and 7–8, are helpful markers for navigating the scale and understanding its structure. The sound of these are unique within the scale and they both perform different musical functions. The 7th scale degree wants to resolve to the tonic half a step above, which is the 8th scale degree. It is called the leading tone because of this. This wanting to resolve creates tension when played. The 4th scale degree often wants to resolve half a step down to the 3rd scale degree.

If you want to learn more ways to play the major scale, check out our Guitar Scale Compass and Book. It's packed with handy tips and tricks.

Learning The Major Pentatonic Scale On Guitar

The major scale and major pentatonic scale are closely related. It's incredibly easy to learn the major pentatonic scale, once you know how to play the regular major scale. Why? Well, because you only have to eliminate two notes to get the major pentatonic scale.

In short, the pentatonic scale consist of:

• five notes per octave (as opposed to 7)

• the scale degrees 1,2,3,5 and 6

Also, pentatonic scales are fun and easier to use for improvising. Who said guitar scales should be difficult? Here are some major pentatonic examples from popular songs:

• My Girl - The Temptations (Intro guitar riff is in C major pentatonic)

• Amazing Grace

• Don’t Stop Believin- Journey (the verse vocal melody is in E major pentatonic)

• Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver (chorus melody in A major pentatonic)

Major Pentatonic Blueprint

This is the major pentatonic scale blueprint: W - W+H - W - W - W+H

Do you see what we did here? Remember those iconic half-steps that carry tension from the previous chapter? They're gone. We skip them. This gives us 1,5 steps twice. Have a look below.

Major Pentatonic Scale Pattern On Guitar

The major scale and major pentatonic are very similar. This means that the shape that you learned before can easily be repurposed for pentatonic scales. In the shape below omit the 4th and 7th scale degrees from the major scale shape to play the pentatonic scale.

Let’s Start Playing

Here is a fun exercise for getting the major pentatonic sound into your fingers and ears. Start by playing the first scale shape slowly. The goal is to get it into your fingers. Be sure to name each scale degree while playing. Once you reach the lower tonic, add one note and repeat the phrase.

It will look something like this:

• Going up: 1, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-5, 1-2-3-5-6, 1-2-3-5-6-8,

• Back down: 1-2-3-5-6, 1-2-3-5, 1-2-3, 1-2, 1

Learning The Minor Scale On Guitar

The minor scale is the bread and butter of rock music and many other genres. Now that you know the major scale, it's easy to create the minor scale. All you have to do is lower three notes with half a step. 

• The major 3rd becomes a minor 3rd

• The major 6th becomes a minor 6th

• The major 7th becomes a minor 7th

Here are some popular examples of the Minor scale:

• Somebody to Love - Jefferson Airplane (uses F#m scale in the chorus vocal melody)

• Adele - Rolling In The Deep (Verse vocal melody is in Cm, although it leans towards Cm pentatonic)

• Audioslave - Like a Stone (Verse melody is in Gm)

Minor Scale Pattern On Guitar

If you follow this blueprint of whole and half-steps, you can play the minor scale in any key you like; W - H - W - W - H - W - W.

The Relative Minor

If you know the Major Scale you automatically know the relative minor scale. The A Minor scale uses exactly the same notes as the C Major scale. Every major scale has a relative minor scale which shares the same key signature as the major scale it is related to. What's different is that it has a different tonic starting point. The diagram below shows how the Major and Relative Minor scales are related. 

Let’s Start Playing

An interesting exercise is to compare the major and minor scales. What you do is, play the major scale and name each scale degree. Nothing new so far. But after going full circle up and down, on the same tonic note you play the minor scale. Don't forget to name the scale degrees and notice the difference in sound.

Learning The Minor Pentatonic Scale On Guitar

The minor scale and minor pentatonic scale are very similar. The only thing we need to do is omit the half steps from the minor scale.

Here are some minor pentatonic examples from popular music.

• The Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone (the bass line and verse vocal are in Bb minor pentatonic)

• La Grange – ZZ Top (A minor pentatonic riff and vocal melody)

• Superstition – Stevie Wonder (Em pentatonic riff)

Minor Pentatonic Blueprint

This is the minor pentatonic scale blueprint: W+H - W - W - H+W - W.

The minor pentatonic uses exactly the same notes as the major pentatonic scale

starting on the 6th scale degree from the major scale. You can see this in the figure below where the green line represents the major scale and the dotted line the relative minor

Major Pentatonic Scale Pattern On Guitar

The major scale and major pentatonic are very similar. This means that the shape that you learned before can easily be repurposed for pentatonic scales. In the shape below omit the 4th and 7th scale degrees from the major scale shape to play the pentatonic scale.

Let’s Start Playing

Here is a fun exercise for getting the major pentatonic sound into your fingers and ears. Start by playing the first scale shape slowly. The goal is to get it into your fingers. Be sure to name each scale degree while playing. Once you reach the lower tonic, add one note and repeat the phrase.

It will look something like this:

• Going up: 1, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-5, 1-2-3-5-6, 1-2-3-5-6-8,

• Back down: 1-2-3-5-6, 1-2-3-5, 1-2-3, 1-2, 1

Learning The Minor Scale On Guitar

The minor scale is the bread and butter of rock music and many other genres. Now that you know the major scale, it's easy to create the minor scale. All you have to do is lower three notes with half a step. 

• The major 3rd becomes a minor 3rd

• The major 6th becomes a minor 6th

• The major 7th becomes a minor 7th

Here are some popular examples of the Minor scale:

• Somebody to Love - Jefferson Airplane (uses F#m scale in the chorus vocal melody)

• Adele - Rolling In The Deep (Verse vocal melody is in Cm, although it leans towards Cm pentatonic)

• Audioslave - Like a Stone (Verse melody is in Gm)

Minor Scale Pattern On Guitar

If you follow this blueprint of whole and half-steps, you can play the minor scale in any key you like; W - H - W - W - H - W - W.

Let’s Start Playing

Once you have mastered the minor pentatonic scale try playing it like this.

• Going up: 1-3-4, 3-4-5, 4-5-7, 5-7-8,

• Back down: 8-7-5, 7-5-4, 5-4-3, 4-3-1

Tips For Playing and Memorising

To internalise each scale, practice the following:

1. Playing ascending and descending slowly.

2. Sing and name the scale degrees while playing

3. Try to sing the scale without your guitar

4. Improvise with backing tracks in minor and major keys.

5. Use the scale to create small melodies or solos.