Category Archives: Guitar Scales

Here is a collection of all the guitar scale lessons we’ve done on this website. We started with the most common scales on guitar (major scale, pentatonic scale etc.), but we quickly ran out of those and we’re now adding more interesting scales (such as the “Indian Pentatonic”). Be sure to check back here for updates when you run out of scale ideas for solos!

What’s a “Guitar Scale Pattern Diagram”?

Well…this:

(btw for the complete set of diagrams for this scale, with explanations, check the sidebar)

What’s happened here is that we’ve taken the minor pentatonic scale, and drawn out the shape (just as you would for a chord diagram). The advantage of this is that its now much more generic- we’re not looking at specific frets, but only the pattern that the scale makes on the fretboard. Its the same as a chord diagram when you read it- the strings are the vertical lines, with the thickest string on the left, and the frets are the horizontal lines, with the lowest numbered fret at the top.

If we started the above example on the 5th fret (i.e. fifth position), we would get this:

And, because we’ve started at the 5th fret we’ve created and A minor pentatonic scale. The root notes (the ones that give the scale its letter) are written on the diagram in red and we’ve lined them up with the A’s on the fretboard (5th fret on both the E strings, and 7th fret on the D string- check out the “notes of the guitar” pdf file in the sidebar).

Why is this useful?

Its useful because it gives us the chance to see the scale without thinking about specific fret numbers- which means you can apply this scale anywhere on the neck. Sometimes its difficult to transpose a scale into the key you want it in, and memorizing the scales as separate shapes.

They are also great because they look like chord diagrams. This allows us to superimpose a chord over the scale and we’ll be able to tell if that chord goes with that scale! If you know your chord shapes, you’ll probably be able to see an E minor barre chord shape in the diagram above (and an E minor shape at the 5th fret is an A minor chord).

What is a Scale?

Simply put: a scale is a series of notes. That’s all. It’s not a pattern of notes on a fretboard, nor is it some kind of magical construct to make you shred better. If that’s what you thought, then you’re in for a shock!

What I’m going to show you is how to think of guitar scales in a musical way (rather than as a pattern). When you learn how to play a new scale, the first step is finding the notes on the fretboard- but that’s only the first step! Anyone can learn a pattern of notes on the fretboard, the real key is knowing how to get the most out of each scale when using them in a solo, or to add depth to your rhythm playing.

How to use Guitar Scales

Scales are our “tonal palette” with which to solo, and just like with a painters palette, it’s not just about slapping colours (or scales/notes) anywhere. The real skill is in using those colours (scales or notes) to create the artistic effects that we want. For each scale, I also talk about the chords that you can use the scale over, along with some licks and phrases to get you started.

However, it is important to know the scales you’re using, and sometimes seeing things in patterns can really help you to understand things. This is why we have the guitar scale pattern diagram to show scales.

Here’s what the E minor barre shape looks like (with the rest of the scale greyed out):

So, the scale will work over an A minor chord.

There is also a “G shape” chord in there aswell:

…and the root notes of this G shape chord (in red) are on the 8th fret of the E string, which makes it a C major chord, because the 8th fret of the E string is a C (again, check the “notes of the fretboard” diagram in the sidebar). Its also a G major shape- so, this scale will also fit over a C major chord.

How can it be a bad thing?

…because sometimes guitarists can forget that “patterns” like this are actually collections of notes. The scale above, for example, contains: a root note, minor third, perfect 4th, perfect 5th and minor 7th. Each on of these scale degrees has a slightly different sound, and sometimes just playing the shape as just a “shape” can get in the way of fully using each of these scale degrees for their individual qualities.

So, as long as you remember that these scale shapes are only a means to an end, visualizing the notes on the fretboard in this way can really help when playing solos!