Free Guitar Scales

Lesson 7: Free guitar scales

These free guitar scales will help you not only develop strength, but also, start learning guitar theory.

Knowing your musical scales will enable you to improvise any melody and play it in any key. It will develop your ability to play by ear too.

Start exploring the major scales. The key of C is always the first to start with because it is the easiest scale so we're starting you off with the key of C major. All you have to do is move the entire scale pattern up or down the fret to change the key!

Are you intimidated by having to learn scales? We recommend THE GUITAR SCALE MASTERY SYSTEM. This unique system presents the scales as a fluid series of notes that make sense, not just flat patterns that you struggle to memorize. If you are overwhelmed by learning scales, struggle with the concept, and are looking for help, this system will help you nail down the scales!

How to play the free guitar scales

A scale is a sequence of notes at particular intervals. An interval being a full step or note, or a half-step. The most common and first scale to learn is the C major scale. Here are the notes in the C scale:

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C

Look to the chart at right to find these notes and familiarize yourself with them.

The INTERVAL for any major scale is:

WHOLE STEP-WHOLE STEP-HALF STEP
WHOLE STEP-WHOLE STEP-WHOLE STEP-HALF STEP

A scale:

covers eight notes, comprising an octave: you return on the same named note that you started on, except that it is one octave higher.

is a pattern of notes, so on the guitar, if you know one scale pattern, you can play in any key by just moving the pattern up and down the fretboard.

To play the C scale, start with the C note on 3rd fret of the 5th string. This is the way to play the scale starting from the root note of C.

Watch this video for a demo on playing the C major scale in 1st position. First position allows for open strings.

Here is another instructional video that will show you how to play the C major scale in 2nd position, without using the open strings played in the example above. There is also a little song based on the C major scale:

All scale patterns on the guitar are moveable scales. To play in a certain key you just move the pattern to wherever the root note of that key is. Try this:

Take the pattern for the C scale that starts on the 3rd fret of the 5th string, and move it up two frets to the 5th fret. Play the exact same pattern in this moved-up position. Now you are playing the D scale which contains these notes:

D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D

All you did was move up the same pattern by two frets. That's what we mean by a moveable scale.

Here's one final video to illustrate playing scales. The main idea that one scale pattern can actually be used to play in different keys. In this example, C major scale notes are the same as A minor scale notes. Don't worry about learning minor scales yet. Just know that the scales overlap, so knowledge of the scale patterns gives you a lot of flexibility in your playing power.

Practice these scale patterns moving them up and down the keyboard to change the key. In no time you will feel more comfortable playing the scales and playing in different keys.

One more video explains the scale pattern drawn out on a blackboard. It's for G Major scale and it is really helpful in understanding how the pattern works. Thanks, mate!

COOL TOOL! Click the note at left to see its
scale pattern. Or click the chord in middle column to see its formation.

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