The turntable-chord book approach is the long way round. I'm sure some who had to do it will swear by it, given you learn by trial and error, and fumbling in the dark. But it's also why a lot of people will give up. The Internet makes it a lot easier.

I'm following justinguitar and I think it's an excellent resource.

Don't forget to video yourself, even if it's just smartphone. I thought I was doing some things pretty well, but watching myself, I can see where I suck, and what I need to work on.

Ditto!

Allow me to offer one really core starting point. In addition to the minor pentatonic scale, which as I'm sure you are aware, is used in the majority of rock and blues solos, you'll want to learn the major scale. The major scale is the most important of all scales, and is the foundation of western music. Perhaps while doodling around on the major scale, it doesn't sound nearly as cool as pentatonic scales for soloing, but rather comes off as being more melodic. Here's the hidden gem behind it though: (well perhaps not so hidden, but I like to think it is ) the minor pentatonic scale fits within the major scale 'framework' in three different starting positions all across the neck. Those positions are the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th notes of the major scale. (Dorian, Phrygian, and Aeolian modes. Don't worry about thinking in terms of modes until you've mastered the entire major scale and can name each degree of the scale without thinking. This will take a while.)

There are 5 notes in any pentatonic scale ('penta' means 'five'), and 7 in the major scale of any given key. That means that while playing pentatonic minor beginning on the 2nd, 3rd, or 6th notes of the major scale, there are 2 EXTRA NOTES that you are leaving out. Once you've practiced the major scale enough and have it memorized across the neck, you'll be able to 'see' easily where the pentatonic scales fit, and where those 2 extra notes of the major scale lie. These are your salt and pepper. They may be thrown in to your licks and you'll still be in key the whole time. They also lend well to creating legato licks which people would not be expecting otherwise.

Blues scales often add notes to the pentatonic minor scale in order make use of what are called chromaticisms - notes of consecutive half steps. Chromaticisms give a real bluesy or jazzy feel. The pentatonic scale with an added b5 is a good example. The b5 isn't in key but it sounds pretty good and bluesly so nobody asks any questions . I guess it's once you know the rules that you are allowed to break them.

It looks as though I've gone on long enough. The important point though is to learn that major scale.

Hey Carzan,

You mentioned you had spent some time playing around with Wish You Were Here intro solo.

Here's a pretty good lesson one of my students found. (Marty has TONS of online lessons)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n67FLy3TLS0

Here's a backtrack you can play along with.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yCrOObzWOg

And here's the entire song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKMzvuY-h38

This could be some real fun for you, check it out.

Good luck brutha!

Got ya!

I actually started on a minor AND a Major scale last week. They are a bit more difficult than the pentatonic as they have three notes per string. All the ways things are connected can really turn into a big jumbled mess in your mind. I'm hoping repetition and just talking things out with my fearless leader and other guitarists will allow it to all eventually sink into my old gray brain!

I have another question. While learning scales (any scale really) it seems what I am supposed to learn is the shape of the scale. However, am I supposed to be memorizing the notes (names) of the scale at different positions on the neck?

Thanks for the replies guys!

What is probably more important than the notes, is the degree (2nd, 3rd, 4th ... 7th, etc) of the scale.

The notes will come eventually - but knowing which scale tone fits where will help when you start turning those scales upside down and moving em around, then there's The Modes...

+1 with regards to scale degrees, which is actually comes pretty easy. It's as simple as counting.

A guitarist can technically get by knowing the notes of only the 5th and 6th strings. They're great reference for dialing in a scale quickly. Learn the notes of those two strings first.

With regard to learning scale shapes, what you are really doing is playing a set of what are called intervals, or number of half steps between two notes. Every scale has its own specific set of intervals which gives the scale its characteristic sound or tonality. For example, what all major scales have in common is that the 3rd note is 4 half steps above the root. This is called a major 3rd interval (the precise number of spaces between the two notes). Conversely, all minor scales have the 3rd 3 half steps up from the root note, called a minor 3rd interval. This one half step difference between the two notes give an instant change in feel, which you'll notice when comparing the two.

Sorry, I may have forgotten probably the most important point behind learning the major scale. Chords are built from select notes of the major scale. Mainly, stacked thirds:

Major chords stem from three notes: 1st, 3rd, 5th
Minor chords also stem from three notes: 1st, m3rd, 5th

Try playing a C chord over the C major scale, and you'll see exactly how the chord was built.

I can see that the chord is based off of notes in the scale but I am lost on the whole 1st 3rd 5th thing. It's obviously not the 1st 3rd and fifth note of the scale. So does anybody want to talk about what the first third and fifth are or give me a link to a good lesson and Ill read about it.

This is interesting!

I've done the best idea my crazy brain could come up with, Carzan. That was fun:



The numbers 1st, 3rd and 5th of which we are referring to are the scale degrees of the major scale.

In the figure we have the first shape most people learn when they begin learning the major scale. At the eighth fret we are looking at C major:

C -1st (Root note)
D -2nd
E - 3rd
F - 4th
G - 5th
A - 6th
B - 7th
C - 1st and 8th (Root). This makes one whole tone.

Circled in red is the basic C major barre chord, highlighting the 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees of the C major scale.

1st let me say i am really impressed with the artwork and the attempt at helping me to understand. I can see now that it is indeed the 1st 3rd and fifth with the 8th actually being the first since it too is the root of the scale.

hmmm now what is on my mind is the way the degrees of the scale are numbered. The scale I have learned has one more not that is on the high E string at the 10th fret in your diagram. so would that note be numbered 2or a 2nd degree of the scale?

And so if I am thinking correctly, in the C major scale, all 1's and 8's are a C note, All 2's are a D note, 3rd degree is an E note, 4th degree is an F note, 5th degree is a G note, 6th degree is an A note and the 7th degree is a B note.

And 8th on the D string is one octave above the 1st on the E string.

So its really kind of a big circle of life!