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How to use scales
Most scales you hear in rock fall into 2 broad categories:
- pentatonic: 5-note scales ("penta" = 5)
- diatonic: standard 7-note ("do-re-mi...")scales *
* diatonic includes minor scales (do-re-"flat-mi"...), more commonly heard then the standard major scale, which often sounds too "happy" for rock.
It's easiest to start with the pentatonic scales:
- most common
- fewer notes (5, not 7)
- commonly broken into five generally recognized "box shapes" *
- same box shapes used for both major and minor pentatonic; only the placement is different
* everyone agrees on the standard pentatonic shapes, but this is not true for diatonic shapes; compare for example the different definitions from Guitar Grimoire, Fretboard Logic, Metal Method, etc.
What are scale shapes?
They're like chord shapes, except the notes in the shape are:
- possible note choices (not required)
- usually played sequentially (not simultaneously)
* Sometimes you'll see chord or scale shapes oriented vertically instead of horizontally. This should make perfect sense to you if you normally play your guitar at a 45 degree angle, pointed towards the ceiling.
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| chord shape: usually your fingers are on each note, and usually you're playing those notes simultaneously (at the same time). | scale shape: usually your fingers are on just one note at a time (or maybe 2-3 at the most); and usually you're playing those notes sequentially (one after the other). | Often they're not moveable (above is an open D chord, for example). | They can usually be moved up and down the neck, to any fret. |
