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Scales are important for a few different reasons
- They build strength and independence in your fingers.
- Playing scales helps to train you ears to recognize some common
note combinations.
- They can be used as note choices in both improvisation and
writing of music.
The following five basic scale shapes should be memorized and
played daily. They should be played in all positions, but a good
place to start is around the 5th fret. Try to use the scales in
your playing as soon as possible, writing or improvising melodies
out of them.
The root of the scale is indicated by the red oval. For more
information on the how to read these scale charts, read scale
primer lesson.
Again, these scale forms can be played anywhere on the neck of
the guitar. The name of the first note that you play on the 6th
string will be the name of the scale. For instance if you play
the major scale starting with your 2nd finger on the 5th fret
of the 6th string, then you would be playing an A major scale.
The 5th fret, 6th string is an A note. At the 3rd fret it would
be a G major scale. The 3rd fret, 6th string is a G note. So in
order to understand exactly which scale/key your are playing in,
you need to know what the names
of the notes on the 6th string.
Learn one scale at a time, don't overload yourself by trying
to do them all at once. I have put the scales in the order that
I would suggest learning them.....starting with the major scale.
After you have memorized the scale form, try the following picking
combinations.
1. Pick 2 times on every note. Use strict down and up picking
starting with a down pick. Make your picking motion as small
as possible. Your left hand should also make as little motion
as possible. Try not to let your fingers fly out too far away
from the fretboard. Have you left hand fingers hovering right
above the notes that you are going to play. You can see how
I do this in the videos of my left hand on the next page.
2. Pick 3 times on every note. Again using strict down and
up picking.
3. Pick 4 times on every note.
4. Pick once on every note, but use strict down and up picking.
Pick down on the first note, up on the second, down on the 3rd,
etc... This is going to take concentration at first. Don't get
into a bad habit of picking down 2 times in a row. Strict down
and up picking is the key.
Page 2, Basic guitar scale
forms 
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