Learn Guitar Online - How to Play the C Major Scale and Master Your Guitar

There's three basic types of scales every guitarist should learn, they are the minor pentatonic, major pentatonic and the blues scale once you have them down pat it's time to move on to the next type of scale the major diatonic scale.

The major scale is where all the real fun starts, you see even a newbie guitarist can create acceptable sounds by simply running up and down the minor or major pentatonic scale that's because the pentatonic scales do not contain any semitones therefore the are passive scales, meaning providing (a) you are in the right key and (b) you have selected the correct pentatonic scale your particular musical application e.g., major pentatonic for country or pop songs or alternatively minor pentatonic for rock or blues style songs you cannot play a 'wrong' although some choices will be better than others.

Because of the passive nature of the pentatonic scale the player can force the notes of the scale over almost any background created from the original key provided the song remains in that key.

Scales that contain semitones require a lot more careful handling it's easy to land on a note that 'clashes' with the background if you do not have enough experience in soloing.

So without any further ado we will begin our musical journey into the land of the major scale and it's related modes.

The C major scale.

I have made several references to the major "diatonic" scale, let me explain the term diatonic; diatonic means 'one tonic' which in effect means that all the notes of the scale relate to a particular 'key' note. This key note gives music a sense of completion a sense of arriving 'home'.

Think of our diatonic scale system as a mini musical solar system whereby the 'key' note acts as a musical 'sun' all other notes in the scale are in the gravitational pull of that keynote; regardless of where your notes travel in a solo or composition they always want to arrive back on the key note because of this
musical gravitational pull. If the notes don't resolve back to the keynote the composition will sound incomplete or unfinished to your musical 'ear'.

Here is the structure of the major scale.

tone - tone - semi-tone - tone - tone - tone - semitone

or the shorthand version...

T - T - [S.T] - T - T - T - [S.T]

This means that between the first and second note of the scale the musical distance of measurement is one tone (two frets), between the second and third note of the scale there is a tone (two frets); between the third and fourth note there is a semitone (one fret) etc.

Since the neck of the guitar is divided into semitones with each fret equaling a semitone a great way to visualize the major scale structure is see it directly applied to the guitar fingerboard.

C major scale played on the second string.

C = 1st fret; D = 3rd, E = 5th, F = 6th (notice the semitone); G = 8th; A = 10th; B = 12th; C = 13th (again, take note of the semitone).

Here is the same scale for you to study.

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-1--3--5--6--8---10--12--13---
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When you play your scale is this linear fashion you begin to see and understand the basic major scale structure as applied to the guitar.

And now I'd like to invite you to get free access to my "How To Remember 1,000 Songs" eCourse. You can download the course for free at: http://www.guitarcoaching.com

You'll learn about hit song templates, easy chords, simple scales, red hot rhythms, and successful practice strategies in text, audio and video.

From Mike Hayes - The Guitar Coaching Guy & the Express Guitar System

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