How to Master Scales
In order to effectively master scales we need to consider two things, technique and theory. Most guitarists are more concerned about what notes to play (theory) than they are about how to play the notes (technique). This is a fundamental mistake which leads to wasted effort and slow progress. If you want to do yourself a huge favor, study technique first and then learn all the scales you want.
The technique required to play scales effectively is much more complex than you might think, however, with a little thought it is possible to:
• discover the movements needed to play any scale
• practice the movements in isolation
• practice synchronizing the movements
If you have been practicing scales but have not seen any tangible results then you need a new approach. Realize this, exercises have no value if they don’t give you new skills which can be applied to everything you practice and play from that point forward. As somebody once said,
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity”.
I wouldn’t quite go that far (otherwise we would all be insane to varying degrees) but it is a sure sign of a lack of intellectual effort. Most of the time the lack of effort exists because of the complexity of the task at hand; we don’t quite know how to get hold of it; we haven’t found the right question(s) to ask. The right question is like a lifeline, find it, and it will kick off a chain reaction revealing many new things.
Here are some pointers to help you find the right questions and answers. They will have a dramatic effect on your ability to play scales:
1. Practice extremely slowly (think slow motion) and examine everything; make each and every move a conscious event. It is in the fine detail that we discover the information needed to create real progress. For example, here are the fundamental states and transitions that your left-hand fingers go through when fretting a note:
a. The left-hand finger hovers just above the string that it is about to fret (state)
b. The hovering finger slowly moves toward the string (transition)
c. The hovering finger lightly touches the string (state)
d. The left-hand finger applies pressure to the string, pressing it to the fretboard (transition)
e. The left-hand finger is applying the required pressure to make a clean note (state)
f. Play the note with right-hand finger or pick
g. The left-hand finger relaxes but does not lose contact with the string (transition)
h. The left-hand finger remains in light contact with the string, applying no pressure (state)
i. The left-hand finger lifts off the string (transition)
j. The left-hand finger hovers a few millimeters above the string (state)
2. Keep any inactive left and right-hand fingers very close to the strings they will be playing next (only a few millimeters above the string). Don’t let your inactive fingers tense up or move away because of the action of another finger. This will require huge concentration and mental effort to achieve.
3. Only apply the minimum pressure with the left-hand fretting fingers needed to produce a clean (no buzzing) note. Excess force cripples the arms, hands, fingers, and entire body, having a devastating effect on the speed and accuracy of your movements.
4. Concentrate on synchronizing your movements. For example, ensure that both the left and right-hand fingers (or pick) make contact with the string you are about to play at exactly the same time.
5. Start by just practicing the first 5 notes of the chromatic scale, ascending and descending. In other words, don’t complicate the issue by having to deal with string crossing until you have mastered playing on a single string.
6. When ascending the chromatic scale, ensure that the left-hand finger that just played the previous note relaxes (but maintains light contact with the string) as the next finger goes down.
7. When descending, ensure that you synchronize the lifting of one finger with the application of pressure of the next finger. For example, as you lift finger 4, make sure you simultaneously apply pressure with finger 3 (which should have been resting lightly on the string after playing its note during the ascending section of the scale).
The description above is only intended to get you thinking about things differently. If you want to understand the State Transition Diagram above, then click here to learn about Intelligent Guitar Technique.
Once you have mastered the techniques required to play any scale you can turn your attention to music theory.
You need to understand:
• The notes on the fretboard
• Intervals and Universal Scale Degrees
• Major & Minor keys and the Circle of 5ths
• How scales are constructed and scale formulas
Click here to learn about Guitar Fretboard Visualization
Guitar Technique
The technique required to play scales effectively is much more complex than you might think, however, with a little thought it is possible to:
• discover the movements needed to play any scale
• practice the movements in isolation
• practice synchronizing the movements
If you have been practicing scales but have not seen any tangible results then you need a new approach. Realize this, exercises have no value if they don’t give you new skills which can be applied to everything you practice and play from that point forward. As somebody once said,
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity”.
I wouldn’t quite go that far (otherwise we would all be insane to varying degrees) but it is a sure sign of a lack of intellectual effort. Most of the time the lack of effort exists because of the complexity of the task at hand; we don’t quite know how to get hold of it; we haven’t found the right question(s) to ask. The right question is like a lifeline, find it, and it will kick off a chain reaction revealing many new things.
Here are some pointers to help you find the right questions and answers. They will have a dramatic effect on your ability to play scales:
1. Practice extremely slowly (think slow motion) and examine everything; make each and every move a conscious event. It is in the fine detail that we discover the information needed to create real progress. For example, here are the fundamental states and transitions that your left-hand fingers go through when fretting a note:
a. The left-hand finger hovers just above the string that it is about to fret (state)
b. The hovering finger slowly moves toward the string (transition)
c. The hovering finger lightly touches the string (state)
d. The left-hand finger applies pressure to the string, pressing it to the fretboard (transition)
e. The left-hand finger is applying the required pressure to make a clean note (state)
f. Play the note with right-hand finger or pick
g. The left-hand finger relaxes but does not lose contact with the string (transition)
h. The left-hand finger remains in light contact with the string, applying no pressure (state)
i. The left-hand finger lifts off the string (transition)
j. The left-hand finger hovers a few millimeters above the string (state)
2. Keep any inactive left and right-hand fingers very close to the strings they will be playing next (only a few millimeters above the string). Don’t let your inactive fingers tense up or move away because of the action of another finger. This will require huge concentration and mental effort to achieve.
3. Only apply the minimum pressure with the left-hand fretting fingers needed to produce a clean (no buzzing) note. Excess force cripples the arms, hands, fingers, and entire body, having a devastating effect on the speed and accuracy of your movements.
4. Concentrate on synchronizing your movements. For example, ensure that both the left and right-hand fingers (or pick) make contact with the string you are about to play at exactly the same time.
5. Start by just practicing the first 5 notes of the chromatic scale, ascending and descending. In other words, don’t complicate the issue by having to deal with string crossing until you have mastered playing on a single string.
6. When ascending the chromatic scale, ensure that the left-hand finger that just played the previous note relaxes (but maintains light contact with the string) as the next finger goes down.
7. When descending, ensure that you synchronize the lifting of one finger with the application of pressure of the next finger. For example, as you lift finger 4, make sure you simultaneously apply pressure with finger 3 (which should have been resting lightly on the string after playing its note during the ascending section of the scale).
The description above is only intended to get you thinking about things differently. If you want to understand the State Transition Diagram above, then click here to learn about Intelligent Guitar Technique.
Music Theory for Guitar
Once you have mastered the techniques required to play any scale you can turn your attention to music theory.
You need to understand:
• The notes on the fretboard
• Intervals and Universal Scale Degrees
• Major & Minor keys and the Circle of 5ths
• How scales are constructed and scale formulas
Click here to learn about Guitar Fretboard Visualization
