The Importance Of Scales - Improving Your Guitar Playing
If you are wishing to improve your guitar playing then the study and practising of scales should be a core component of your learning program.
Scales are important because they are not only a fundamental part of music but they generate and improve finger dexterity and strength.
By making scales a regular part of guitar practice encourages the 'ear' to recognize how sound is being organised, but also, in turn enables the memory to recognise the various patterns of notes that constitute different scales.
The long-term view is that a good understanding of guitar scales provides a fundamental base to improvising solos and creating your own music, which for many a budding musician is often the long-term goal.
On a day-to-day basis it is good to play scales as a warm-up at the start of any practice session.
The use of a metronome is absolutely essential; something that cannot be emphasized enough.
Set it to a slowish tempo, not too slow, about the speed of walking up stairs.
Then play the scale along with it, making sure to not only keep in time, but also use correct fingering and play legato - join the notes up to keep the sound a smooth continuous event, avoiding staccato.
As the skill develops introduce the idea of up and down strokes, a technique that improves the overall fluidity of the sound by maximising the dexterity and synchronicity of both hands.
The long-term plan is that once a scale is mastered, the tempo can be increased in small increments by about 5bpm each time.
This systematic approach ensures that a good speed can be achieved without picking up any bad habits.
The very first scales you should learn can be played in the open position; they are the chromatic and the E minor pentatonic scales.
Start with the chromatic scale which establishes the fundamental discipline of 'one finger per fret', which encourages the total dexterity of each finger.
Once that discipline is established it helps with the playing of all other scales.
Next comes the E minor pentatonic.
This scale provides a great opportunity, as it is an entry point to riffs, licks and melodies that are not only fun to play but provide an alternative to just practising only the scale.
For instance the pattern of some of the notes of the E minor pentatonic scale based on the open strings contains a good bluesy riff very reminiscent of 'Rock Me Baby', an old blues classic.
Also the famous rock and roll signature lick 'Shaking All Over' plays nearly all the notes.
The Irish ballad, 'Star of the County Down' also uses nearly all the scale and adds one note from outside the scale.
By practicing scales regularly and following the above advice you will hopefully begin to notice the benefits and improve your ability to play the guitar over a period of time.
Scales are important because they are not only a fundamental part of music but they generate and improve finger dexterity and strength.
By making scales a regular part of guitar practice encourages the 'ear' to recognize how sound is being organised, but also, in turn enables the memory to recognise the various patterns of notes that constitute different scales.
The long-term view is that a good understanding of guitar scales provides a fundamental base to improvising solos and creating your own music, which for many a budding musician is often the long-term goal.
On a day-to-day basis it is good to play scales as a warm-up at the start of any practice session.
The use of a metronome is absolutely essential; something that cannot be emphasized enough.
Set it to a slowish tempo, not too slow, about the speed of walking up stairs.
Then play the scale along with it, making sure to not only keep in time, but also use correct fingering and play legato - join the notes up to keep the sound a smooth continuous event, avoiding staccato.
As the skill develops introduce the idea of up and down strokes, a technique that improves the overall fluidity of the sound by maximising the dexterity and synchronicity of both hands.
The long-term plan is that once a scale is mastered, the tempo can be increased in small increments by about 5bpm each time.
This systematic approach ensures that a good speed can be achieved without picking up any bad habits.
The very first scales you should learn can be played in the open position; they are the chromatic and the E minor pentatonic scales.
Start with the chromatic scale which establishes the fundamental discipline of 'one finger per fret', which encourages the total dexterity of each finger.
Once that discipline is established it helps with the playing of all other scales.
Next comes the E minor pentatonic.
This scale provides a great opportunity, as it is an entry point to riffs, licks and melodies that are not only fun to play but provide an alternative to just practising only the scale.
For instance the pattern of some of the notes of the E minor pentatonic scale based on the open strings contains a good bluesy riff very reminiscent of 'Rock Me Baby', an old blues classic.
Also the famous rock and roll signature lick 'Shaking All Over' plays nearly all the notes.
The Irish ballad, 'Star of the County Down' also uses nearly all the scale and adds one note from outside the scale.
By practicing scales regularly and following the above advice you will hopefully begin to notice the benefits and improve your ability to play the guitar over a period of time.
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