If you’re feeling more adventurous and want to learn how to play major and minor pentatonic scales on guitar, check out this great Skillshare class.īut if you get lost at any point, there’s a hack to help you remember how to build a guitar major scale. We’ll also explore some of the basics of reading guitar tablature, including how to identify your root (or beginning) note and the fingers with which you should play each note of a scale. We’ve curated notation and guitar tabs to help you understand what are the major guitar scales. Whether you’re playing the guitar, a piano, or a mellophone, there are 12 major scales that you should know how to play: The 12 Major Scales on Guitarīefore you dive in, you probably have one pressing question: How many major scales are there in guitar? We’ll get into some more specific techniques for playing major scales on guitar later, but if you had to, you could play an entire major scale on just one string. Want to play a whole step? Move your finger two frets from the one you’re on. Want to move up a half step in a scale? Just move your finger to the next fret. Skillshare instructor Chris Rupp explains how to play half and whole steps on a guitar. How does this all apply to the frets on your guitar? In some ways, it’s actually easier to understand. Of course, you’re wondering how to learn major scales on guitar. Let’s do the same exercise, but we’ll build a D major scale this time: D, E, F# (black key), G, A, B, C# (black key), D. Simple, right? C major is one of the most basic scales on the planet, at least on the piano. Now we’ll unpack this by building a C major scale, which includes the following notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.
Now, let’s explore the formula for building a major scale: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. That’s what musicians call a whole step.įollowing so far? Great. Now, let’s travel to the white key next to C, which would take us to D. When we travel to the black key directly above C, that’s what musicians consider a half step, or C to C#. Let’s start with the first key in our image, which is C. The keys of a piano are a great illustration of whole and half steps in a major scale. And for this exercise, we’ll use a piano. The Mechanics of a Major Scaleīefore we get into specific guitar major scales, let’s chat about how to construct a major scale on any instrument. But with a bit of consistency and persistence, you can learn how to play major scales on guitar. While there are different neck shapes and sizes that could make it easier to play major scales on guitar, learning them will take a good amount of practice. Remember the last time you heard “ Time of Your Life” by Green Day? Yeah, the entire thing is just four chords.īut what if you want to be a lead guitarist in a band? How do you play some of those tasty licks that you’ve heard? The foundation of your favorite guitar solos is rooted in learning how to play major guitar scales. Want to learn how to play hundreds of popular songs? In many cases, all you need to understand is a few basic chord shapes and strumming patterns.
Somehow, the guitar is one of the easiest and most difficult instruments to master.