# Scales and modes (tab form)



## rchrd_le (Dec 15, 2011)

Hi guys! I've been on Sevenstring for a while and I've learned plenty about guitar techniques and a lot of new music.

First off, THANK YOU!

I've been playing guitar for about 4 years now self taught and I still don't know how to play any scales or identify them in certain songs. Reading sheet music can come later, but what I really want to do is jam out to some backtracking.

So far the only scale I've learned is the Gmaj scale from an Expertvillage video. Watching videos is really boring and takes too much time. I can read tabs a lot better and it's more interesting to me that way.

Anyone got a link to the tabs on scales in order. Ultimate guitar is a little too messy and I can only look up one scale at a time. Since I don't know anything about scales, can someone give me a site of where it just has the tab of the basic scales?

Thanks for the help guys!


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## Tobi (Dec 16, 2011)

if you want to learn it an interesting way, just take your G Major scale, G, A, B, C, D, E, F# and construct everything from there.
If you set a different note as your base/root note or 'starting point' if you will (even though you shouldnt take that too literally, I can start a scale of G, and still play a B Scale... anyway) and run through the scales that constructs the different modes. 

Note: All these are the notes of the G Major scale, you can transpose this yourself later. 

Root Note G: 
G Ionian Scale : G A B C D E F# G
Intervals W W H W W W H 
major tonality

Root Note A: 
A Dorian Scale: A B C D E F# G A
Intervals W H W W W H W
minor tonality

Root Note B: 
B Phrygian Scale: B C D E F# G A B
Intervals H W W W H W W 
minor tonality

Root Note C: 
C Lydian Scale: C D E F# G A B C 
Intervals W W W H W W H 
major tonality

Root Note D: 
D Mixolydian Scale: D E F# G A B C D 
Intervals W W H W W H W
major tonality

Root Note E: 
E Aeolian Scale: E F# G A B C D E
Intervals W H W W H W W 
major tonality

Root Note F#: 
F#Locrian Scale: F# G A B C D E F#
Intervals H W W H W W W 
minor / diminished tonality

with this knowledge you can construct all your scale patterns for yourself, which I did and found VERY helpful. I would recommend constructing all this for yourself to anyone who wants to get to know their fretboard or whatever. Dont just copy other peoples patterns, but construct it for yourself. and construct every scale in different positions, start off with different fingers or on different strings and construct 3 note per string patterns, horizontal patterns and boxed patterns. 
I can honestly only recommend working all of this out for yourself, it might be s Saturday worth of working on it, but it will be worth it and you will not be stuck in the pentatonic box everyone describes. 
If you can easily visualize and hear every note on the fretboard this also helps you construct chords and 'play the music in your head' 
Train your ear, as well, so you know how every note, scale, mode and chord is going to sound before you play it. 
That way you will have a lot less problems improvising later on. 

If you dont want to spend any time on constructing scales and modes yourself theres always this: 
guitar scale patterns - Google-Suche


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Dec 16, 2011)

I'll do you one better. I made these really quickly. These two charts give you not only the tab of the scale, but the standard notation as well, so you can get an idea of what these look like on the staff. I highly advise you to get on reading standard notation. I also have the intervallic formula next to each scale's name so that you can get an idea of what makes these scales tick.












Obviously, these aren't the be-all-end-all of scale charts, but these box patterns are easily transposed, so they should get you going. Let me know if you want more. I can also make fretboards.


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## Solodini (Dec 16, 2011)

I definitely think learning the notes is more interesting than just copying shapes, which is why I agree with the information above. You can move between all major scales by simply changing one note at a time. To my mind, changing one note 15 times seems much easier than trying to memorise 15 different sts of positions.


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## Guitarchitect (Dec 16, 2011)

There a lot of different ways to look at it. The key is to explore a couple of different options, find the ones that work for you and then explore them in a lot of depth.

There is no downside to understanding things from multiple perspective/angles/etc.

I'm very happy I learned theory - but knowing the patterns allows me to play intuitively when I want to (like when improvising). 

Two of the advantages of the theory in this case, are 

1. being able to understand what's going on when I find something cool (and thus be able to do it again). and

2. exploring things I didn't know were there and adding them to my vocabulary.

There's no shortage of good information out there. So my advice is, don't spend a lot of time re-inventing the wheel (i.e. working out solutions to problems other people have done the trouble shooting on a while ago). Pick an approach or two, find out what sticks with you and works with your style or learning and then put the work in.

Good luck!


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## SirMyghin (Dec 16, 2011)

Make sure you understand what tabs are saying, 'learning' the mode via tab will leave you absolutely no understanding of what it is, or how to use it.


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## rchrd_le (Dec 17, 2011)

Oh Jeez!! Thanks guys! I got MORE than what I asked for.

Coolio guys I'll get right on it. Again danke


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## teabagger (Dec 17, 2011)

this is a one page printable version of all the modes 2 forms with the root on the E string. i put together for my learning.... I suggest highlighting the second and third roots, and working out scale notes as you go. 7 modes and 7 days in a week coincidence i think not.


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## rchrd_le (Dec 18, 2011)

I should memorize all of these right?


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Dec 19, 2011)

Might be a good idea. I found that learning a couple of the shapes and really drilling them helped me in the beginning, so if you have favorites, I'd say go with those and learn how they fit in to the other scales. For instance, if we're in the key of F# minor and all you know is a phrygian shape, you can play C# phrygian and no one will be the wiser, as it's the same notes.


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## Domkid118 (Dec 22, 2011)

Thanks guys, iv had musician block for ages, and i think you might have helped me over the hurdle, 


Staying up late playing guitar till stupid o'clock does pay off after all


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