# Holdsworth's 10 Most used Improv Scales:



## God Hand Apostle

I watched this video again today; 
[googlevid]6595362002985980095[/googlevid]

...and then made my own chart with the scales together. I thought some might find it usefull to have these on one image you can save or whatever.






GHA


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## distressed_romeo

That last one's actually the nine-note augmented scale for those who're curious.

There's some awesome playing on the video that lesson's taken from...I must have watched it more than a hundred times.


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## amonb

That's an awesome chart...you should post a big one so we can print it out!


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## dude777

lol plz


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## Gilbucci

Call me a noob, but, how the hell do I read that chart?


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## El Caco

Gilbucci said:


> Call me a noob, but, how the hell do I read that chart?



Noob. 

I can't read it either, but I know I'm a noob, it needs to be bigger.


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## Leon

Gilbucci said:


> Call me a noob, but, how the hell do I read that chart?



if he supplies a higher resolution picture, it'll become obvious


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## God Hand Apostle

Photobucket won't let this be any bigger for some reason...?

Maybe this will work.


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## Shawn

Very cool video and cool scales too.  Allan Holdsworth is fantastic.


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## Desecrated

thanks


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## shredfreak

NICE, guess i'll be having some fun with this now


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## amonb

God Hand Apostle said:


> Photobucket won't let this be any bigger for some reason...?
> 
> Maybe this will work.



Awesome! Thanks dude.


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## jacoobherrman

Please how use this scale? what are key?


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## silentrage

Where can I find the whole video??


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## distressed_romeo

silentrage said:


> Where can I find the whole video??



It's on DVD now.


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## Fred

Whoa, thank you for resurrecting this one - great stuff!


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## halsinden

now, can i be complete dickhead and ask whether anyone's nifty enough to make similar charts but for 7 strings?

also, i had no idea he played in level 42 for a while.

H


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## God Hand Apostle

If you PM me your email, I can send you an Excel file I made for the same scales covering a 7 string fretboard with 27 frets like my KxK will have.


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## stubhead

That #10 is one of my new favorites, ever since I bought the DVD last year. Half-step, half-step, whole-step; Half-step, half-step, whole-step; Half-step, half-step, whole-step; Half-step, half-step, whole-step; etc. If you use the one with a Eb, E and F in it, it contains like a dumb-boogie-in-F scale and a double harmonic minor in E scale, which lets you shift from igno-boogie to fakie flamenco off and on, ascending in major 3rds (descending in minor 6ths, same difference....) Confound your bandmates! Annoy at parties! Try it in 11/8....


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## distressed_romeo

stubhead said:


> That #10 is one of my new favorites, ever since I bought the DVD last year. Half-step, half-step, half-step, whole-step; Half-step, half-step, half-step, whole-step; Half-step, half-step, half-step, whole-step; Half-step, half-step, half-step, whole-step; etc. If you use the one with a Eb, E and F in it, it contains like a dumb-boogie-in-F scale and a double harmonic minor in E scale, which lets you shift from igno-boogie to fakie flamenco off and on, ascending in major 3rds (descending in minor 6ths, same difference....) Confound your bandmates! Annoy at parties! Try it in 11/8....



Shaun Baxter wrote an excellent article on that scale a while ago. The real fun begins when you extract triads from it and start coming up with some freaky out-side arpeggio sequences!


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## distressed_romeo

halsinden said:


> also, i had no idea he played in level 42 for a while.
> 
> H



Don't hold it against him...


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## TonalArchitect

The last one looks like a candy cane! 


Or Barber pole.


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## Stealthdjentstic

Only good bump ever. Thanks for the chart


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## HammerAndSickle

Far be it for me to question Holdsworth, but I'm pretty sure #4 isn't harmonic major. Harmonic major from what I know is major b6, not... whatever that is. And it would've been more useful had they all been in the same key >.>


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## God Hand Apostle

OOOOOOH! Good eye Brian!

The name of Scale#4 should be "E Harmonic Major". 

A Minor (Maj7, #4) - (E Harmonic Major)


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## God Hand Apostle




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## Wolfster

distressed_romeo said:


> Shaun Baxter wrote an excellent article on that scale a while ago. The real fun begins when you extract triads from it and start coming up with some freaky out-side arpeggio sequences!



That sounds really cool.

Do you happen to know which issue he wrote the article in/Where I can get it??(Im assuming he wrote it for guitar techniques)


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## ShadyDavey

I remember a similar article from way back in the early 90's by Shawn - its possible the one Mr Romeo is referring to is either in a same vein, or a re-write of that one. Either way I'd love to see it!!


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## distressed_romeo

Wolfster said:


> That sounds really cool.
> 
> Do you happen to know which issue he wrote the article in/Where I can get it??(Im assuming he wrote it for guitar techniques)



Unfortunately, most of my issues of GT are stuck at my parents' house, but I'll investigate and see if I can find it for you.


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## jamesd

Scale 4 is A Lydian Diminished, the fourth mode of E Harmonic Major (as was said before).

I believe scales 6, 7, and 9 are "bebop" scales.

Scale 6 is Bb Bebop Major scale.

Scale 7 is C Bebop Dominant Major scale, or alternatively, G Bebop Dorian scale.

Scale 9 is A Bebop Melodic Minor scale.

Scale 8 looks like some variation of a bebop scale but I'm not sure what the official name is...

And hell if I know what 10 is!


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## METAL_ZONE

I am madly in love with Allan Holdsworth now. This may be a little off topic, but do you guys know any songs of his that are fairly easy to play?


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## ifys

hello everyone,

I just love Allan and his music !!
will it be possible for you to get me the same maps in Eb for 6 strings guitar
here s my email laurent72 at gmail dot com
many thanks in advance


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## ShadyDavey

Just transpose it down one fret? If your tuning is Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb then you really don't need to change anything - the intervals are still all the same


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## drfretboard

God Hand Apostle said:


> ...and then made my own chart with the scales together. I thought some might find it usefull to have these on one image you can save or whatever.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GHA




I know that fretboard image 

Thanks for using my app, hope you like it!


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## viesczy

That chart is a great example of the commonality of the geometric similarities of the different scales. Okay beyond the last of course, which gives some great tonal variations/tensions to utilize when changing grooves or tie in to the next phrase. 

For the shapes, that's how I think music now; the geometry of w/e, based over the scale and chords. The chords give a color/feel and geometry fits in/against said feel/color to either resolve or cause tension. After 3 decades of reading, writing & playing music, it becomes muscle memory almost.

Great tool/find to have @ anyone's disposal! 

Derek


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## Xiphos68

Hey, Guys
Sorry to necro bump this. But the video isn't working? Is there another vid of it on youtube if anyone knows what it is?


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## Xiphos68

Bump.


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## Zsharp

holdsworth is god, thanks for posting this!


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## SenorDingDong

God Hand Apostle said:


> Photobucket won't let this be any bigger for some reason...?
> 
> Maybe this will work.


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## mishabasi

I love these scales! now I have to learn how to use them!


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## mr_rainmaker

great thread.


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## MartinMTL

Thanks a lot for this. Haha, this site is too helpful. I keep finding so much stuff I need to work on here, but there is no time!


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## noUser01

Thanks very much, anyone know where we can find a working version of this video?


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## Handy Andy

Hi I am trying to make up professional looking charts instead of writing everything out by hand all the time. I tried doing it in microsoft word but there are many problems that are just not suited for writing music diagrams for scales and chords. Can you recommend any "go to" software that musicians usually use to make the scale and chord graph diagrams with? thanks a million. 




God Hand Apostle said:


> I watched this video again today;
> [googlevid]6595362002985980095[/googlevid]
> 
> ...and then made my own chart with the scales together. I thought some might find it usefull to have these on one image you can save or whatever.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GHA


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## Mr. Big Noodles

Handy Andy said:


> Hi I am trying to make up professional looking charts instead of writing everything out by hand all the time. I tried doing it in microsoft word but there are many problems that are just not suited for writing music diagrams for scales and chords. Can you recommend any "go to" software that musicians usually use to make the scale and chord graph diagrams with? thanks a million.



Neck Diagrams. http://www.neckdiagrams.com/


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## Joan Maal

Thanks... ill print it and put on the wall


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## Joan Maal

Thanks... ill print it and put on the wall


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