Guitartists!......scales?

[seveertrebor]

Just thought I would get some opinion as to whether you think it is worth spending hours on end learning to play all those scales?

 

I think I have reached a decent standard without the need to, as I generally play by ear. Am I missing something, or would I gain from getting some "scale" practice in?

 

 

[physics23]

Learn some of the Arabic scales and play around with them. Do a search at Google. It's good stuff.

[My_Shrimp_Cot]

I would say "by ear" is the best way to learn guitar, but eventually you may want to know what you are playing and why, if only to help you avoid really bad sounding notes when you are playing unfamiliar music (improvising solos, etc). Learning riffs is far more interesting though.

 

instead of "hours on end" why not just warm up with some scales?

 

 

[defrushfan01]

I usually do scales for about 15 to 20 mins then play, it helps get you fingers 'workin' and helps you when you wanna play riffs while playing rythm.

[My_Shrimp_Cot]

Another way to look at it is this...

 

 

Someone said "practice makes perfect, unless you are practicing mistakes. If you are making mistakes while practicing, you will perform mistakes when preforming." So, it's a REALLY bad idea to dive right in and try to learn complex music without warming up and starting slowly, because then you have to "unlearn" those mistakes, which takes time.

 

So "warm up" with scales, get all the cobwebs out of your fingers and brain, then play.

[ABZ Highlander]

All you need is the 5 note scale for all the best music, pentatonic, Scottish and Chinese........

[Indica]

I learned by ear also. I played for 3-4 years before I learned the 7 modes. And I found that it helps tremedously to know your scales. There are a lot of good guitar players that dont know the scales. Well at least they don't know them by name. They play them and dont know what they are.

 

I think learning them really helps. I am glad I did. I spent a couple weeks playing each mode exclusively when I was learning them. After a while I could hear a solo on the radio or whatever and I would know which scale it was in. Let me tell you, when you are learning new songs it speeds up the process when you know what scale they are playing in. At least for me. Sometimes when I am learning a solo the first thing I do is find the notes and write them down and if I dont know the scale I figure it out by which notes are played. This is basically still "learning by ear" because you have to listen to the notes and figure out what they are. You are eliminating all the notes that aren't in the scale so it makes it sooo much easier to learn once you know the scale that is being used.

 

Now when I hear music I see the scales as you would see a color. I can usually tell just by hearing it. Also you can write songs while practicing your scales. You hear something that sounds cool then record it.

 

I think it's well worth the time to learn them. Not a must but it will for sure help you as a musician and help you see music in a different way and learn songs quicker.

 

Start off with Ionian and Aeolian which is the major mode and the pure minor. Then play exclusively until you are comfortable then move on to dorian and Lydian or whatever. You will find that modes have unique sounds and when you are learning them you will be thinking "damn I heard this a lot before"

 

I'd say that over 1/2 of all rock solos are in minor scale. At least most of the ones I learned.

 

I say go for it and learn them and you wont be sorry.

Edited November 13, 2005 by Indica

[thestand]

I'm in the same boat. I'm fifteen, and have taught myself over the past 3 years. Only about a month ago, I dived into scales, and it's already helping tremedously. So I would definately go with scales.

[Dr.Gomez]

[D-13]

Taught myself for 6.5 years....never read any type theory or scales... It's getting to the point that I don't want to listen by ear anymore because I have done it for 6 years...later this year I will be learning scales and theory as it helps a lot.

[Modest Man From Mandrake]

QUOTE (D-13 @ Nov 13 2005, 02:04 PM)

Taught myself for 6.5 years....never read any type theory or scales...  It's getting to the point that I don't want to listen by ear anymore because I have done it for 6 years...later this year I will be learning scales and theory as it helps a lot.

 

I learned for years by ear too. I think understanding the theory of the scales is a great idea. It's nice to understand how the scales work. By ear is good to learn other peoples music. Knowing scales IMO is vital to doing your own stuff. It allows you to explore every aspect of the neck. You learn things you might not have known otherwise. Also knowing your scales also helps you when learning by ear. You have a better idea of what's going on.

[SheriffJohnBrown]

Yes. Scales. That's how one gets on the path to mastery, IMO. Learn scales and learn theory. They're major assets to your musical ability.

[xredsectorx]

I've been kinda playing around, so to speak, with scales for quite a while, but just recently I'm really focusing on them and getting started in the world of music theory. Wow there is alot to learn with both scales and theory I've got the blues scale down in a few different keys and now I'm working on the Natural Minor scale aka Aeolian Mode. It leaves a bit more room for error when trying to improvise

[SignatureAurora75]

Interesting post. I'm going to ask a question here that may be stupid. The question is: Do you think Alex Lifeson knows scales?

 

I'm just wondering because I've watched those song tutorial videos he has made, and I don't think I've ever heard any mention of scales, maybe I'm wrong.

 

I would assume yes he knows his shit, since all three of the gods seem to be masters in their area, in every way possible. But, what do you think?

[ChroniclesOfRush]

If you want to play RUSH all you need to learn is pentatonic neutral and harmonic minor scales. Where you need to put the work in is on chords. All shapes and sizes (and a few made up ones eh Alex?).

[ChroniclesOfRush]

QUOTE (SignatureAurora75 @ Mar 31 2010, 07:26 PM)

Interesting post. I'm going to ask a question here that may be stupid. The question is: Do you think Alex Lifeson knows scales? I'm just wondering because I've watched those song tutorial videos he has made, and I don't think I've ever heard any mention of scales, maybe I'm wrong. I would assume yes he knows his shit, since all three of the gods seem to be masters in their area, in every way possible. But, what do you think?

Yes he knows 3 scales basically.

[JARG]

There was a period when I spent quite a bit of time learning scales and modes, and I think it's useful in that it trains your ear & brain to hear notes in terms of intervals and it helps you find your way around the neck, but nowadays I don't think about scales at all. When I solo, it's almost always 100% improvisation and my method of "composing" solos is just to play a bunch of different ideas until a direction reveals itself, but even then it's only a rough guide...it's rare for me to compose a solo note for note.

[hunter]

Learning them can only help. It can't hurt, so why not?

[Brooks]

chord/scale relationships were one of the few things i learned in college that i actually still use.

[Show Don't Tell]

Learn how to play any scale:

 

http://jguitar.com/scale

[xredsectorx]

QUOTE (Show Don't Tell @ Apr 4 2010, 02:39 PM)

Learn how to play any scale: http://jguitar.com/scale

That site is very helpful

 

I use this one alot, it's also very good:

 

http://all-guitar-chords.com/

 

* edit to add that although it's called all-guitar-chords, it also has lots and lots of scales and all kinds of other useful/cool guitar stuff

Edited April 4, 2010 by xredsectorx

[Show Don't Tell]

QUOTE (xredsectorx @ Apr 4 2010, 06:11 PM)

QUOTE (Show Don't Tell @ Apr 4 2010, 02:39 PM) Learn how to play any scale: http://jguitar.com/scale That site is very helpful   I use this one alot, it's also very good:   http://all-guitar-chords.com/   * edit to add that although it's called all-guitar-chords, it also has lots and lots of scales and all kinds of other useful/cool guitar stuff That site's good too!

[J0N]

I think it was Marty Friedman that said in a few of his instructional videos that you can 'make up' your own scales. Instead of finding them in books or online just play notes that you think sound cool together.

Its clearly not the most efficient way of learning but if you really can't stand theory that much then I guess its something you could try.

[Some Half-Forgotten Stranger]

I once went to a guitar clinic featuring Steve Morse and someone asked something along the lines of, "what advice can you give that would make a guitar player better"?

 

He responded," Modes, modes, modes".

 

That's what Steve Morse said.

[Fridge]

I wouldn't know a scale if it leapt up and smacked me across the face with a wet fish...but I get by ok