Beginner Guitar Scales

Maybe you need a tip or two on what beginner guitar scales to learn. What the actual scale consists of, and how to practice it. So that it will be useful to you. When Playing your guitar.

What are Beginner Guitar Scales? There are several Beginner Guitar Scales. Here are a few Beginner Guitar Scales that I recommend. To learn first to get you up to speed with scale patterns, Scale practice, and using them to exercise your fingers. minor Pentatonic Scale, Blues Scale, Major Pentatonic Scale, and the Major Scale.

If your ready to learn some scales grab your guitar, and you can learn them as we go!

First Scale to Learn is the Major Scale

The Major Scale is one of the most powerful scales to know and use. All modern music is based off of the Major Scale. You can use the Major Scale to Find out How do you know if a Chord is Major or minor?.

Here are the 8 note pattern that you need to play the Major Scale. What’s great about the Major Scale is: Once you learn the pattern you can move it up the guitar neck. To change the key your in. Also you can use it for different forms of exercises. Here is the Pattern of the Major Scale.

G Major Scale

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Look at the Tab above this is the G Major Scale. Your Fingers to play this scale are located at the thickest string. Which is the E string. The numbers on the tab are the frets.

To play this scale you start on the 6th string at the 3rd fret. Use your second finger. Cover the G note on the 3rd fret, and pick it. The next note is still on the 6th string. But at the 5th fret. Use your pinkie at the 5th fret cover the A note. Then Play the A at the 5th fret.

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Next move to the 5th string. Use your first finger to play the note at the second fret. Use your second finger to play the note at the 3rd fret. Then using your pinkie play the note at the 5th fret of the 5th string.

It is very important to play this Scale using the proper fingers. The next part of the scale is on the 4th string. At the 2nd fret. Play that note using your first finger.

Then the 4th fret of the 4th string is played with your 3rd finger. Finally you are going to want to play the 5th fret of the 4th string. With your pinkie finger.

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Practice Scales for Perfection VS Speed

There you have it Practice playing this scale. Practice for perfection not speed. What do I mean by this? Well you want to use basic techniques to play this scale. A Couple are playing behind the fret. Playing on the tips of your fingers. Here are 10 things every beginner guitar player needs to know.

Your trying to memorize the pattern. Also you want to be able to play it so that the notes ring out properly. You can practice this scale like this. First play the above scale.

Then move it up one fret. Now you are playing a G# Major Scale. After you play that move up to the A Major Scale. This is a good way to learn the scale. But also get your fingers moving. Muscle memory makes playing the guitar easy.

If you know the scale pattern you can also do things like. Practice picking the strings. While you are doing the scale. You can first start out with downward picking. So place your fingers at the third fret. Pick down, then when your fingers on the 5th fret pick down.

Do this and move up a fret. Now you are learning the scale and picking at the same time, Remember you are not trying to win a race. You are trying to be intentional with where your fingers are on the fretboard.

Also pay attention to picking the string. Holding the pick properly is covered. In the 58 beginner guitar tips you should know. If you need to know more about that check out the link.


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Alternate Picking using the Major Scale

Using the same pattern practice Alternate picking. Alternate picking is up and down picking. If you are just starting out then take it slow. These are just some more great practice routines. To help you get your fingers moving. Also you are getting the feel for picking the strings.

So start out picking the 6th string down. Your fretting hand is on the 3rd fret of the 6th string. Then pick it up, move your fretting hand to the 5th fret. Pick that A note down then up. Move to the 5th string down, then up.

This is to be done slowly then after you are able, you can speed up a little. It does no good to go fast if it sounds bad. So accuracy, holding the notes or string down properly. All that is what we are working on. Now that you have the Major Scale pattern down.

These are just a few tips for exercises using the Major scale. If you want some more finger strength exercises and techniques click the link.


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Electric Guitar Scales for Beginners

When you are playing an electric guitar it is played different than an acoustic. But the scales that you are going to learn is the same as if you were playing an acoustic guitar.

As a beginner I would start with the minor Pentatonic Scale. There are 5 scales. You can take as long as you want to learn all 5. Eventually you will start soloing with the use of the scales.

But to start I would recommend Scale Pattern 1. You may have heard it as form one. It is all the same. Like I said there are 5 patterns. But there is so much in one pattern alone that many famous guitarist only ever use maybe up to 3 patterns.

Here is form one of the minor Pentatonic Scale.

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Pattern 1 of the Pentatonic Scale

This is the A minor Pentatonic Scale. Why does it say that it is the C Major Pentatonic Scale? Simple because it is. Every Major Scale has a relative minor. The A minor is the Relative minor of the C Major. Don’t worry to much about that. Right now we want to be able to play the A minor Pentatonic Scale.

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Starting off on the 6th string at the 6th fret. Fret the note with your first finger. After picking the 6th string. Play the note on the 5th fret or the 6th string. With the use of your pinkie.

On the 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings. You are going to use fingers one and three. On the 5th fret and the 7th fret.

Then on the 2nd and 1st strings use fingers one and four. So just remember:

  • Sixth string: 5 – 8
  • Fifth string: 5 – 7
  • Fourth string: 5 – 7
  • Third string: 5 – 7
  • Second string: 5 – 8
  • First string: 5 – 8

Easy right!

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When you get to the first string work your way back up to the 6th string. You are going in reverse though. So start with the 8th fret and go to the 5th and so on.

Once you get that down to where you are comfortable with it. Try the same scale and practice alternate picking, Up and down for each fret. Once you get that you can change it up a little and pick down when you are on the 5th fret and up when you are on the 7th and 8th fret.

Also move the pattern up the guitar neck. This will change things up. As the frets are getting smaller up the neck. Also larger closer to the headstock.


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Beginner Guitar Box 2 Pentatonic Scale

Here is a quick glimpse into the second pattern of the Pentatonic Scale. Starting out even though there are several patterns or shapes to learn. If you take box one and box two. This will get you through a lot of songs. If you are wanting to learn how to solo.

Start out slow and after you learn toy play the first pattern; Box 1. Then you can try box 2. The second pattern. It goes like this:

  • On the Sixth string: 8 – 10
  • Fifth string: 7 – 10
  • Fourth string: 7 – 10
  • Third string: 7 – 9
  • Second string: 8 – 10
  • First string is: 8 – 10

Basically you are using your second and fourth finger at the 6th string. To play the notes on the 8th and the 10th fret. Then your first and pinkie for frets 7 -10. This is on strings 5 and 4. Then when you get to the third string use fingers one and three. To play the frets 7 and 9.

Finally on the 2nd and 1st string. You can use fingers 2 and four. To play frets 8 and 10.

Practice playing the second box, pattern 2 of the Pentatonic scale.

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First Pattern of the Blues Scale

Another Beginner scale is the blue scale. It is a great scale, and easy to learn. As it is almost the same as the Pentatonic scale with an additional note. You guessed it the “blues note.”

Here’s the first pattern of the blues scale.

Box 1

WE are starting on the 6th string at the 5th fret. Just like the pentatonic scale. See how it is the same. Just remember the the blues notes. There is the Eb on the 5th string 6th fret. Also again at the 8th fret. On the 3rd string.

Use fingers one and four on the 6th string. At the 5th and 8th fret. Then when you get to the 5th string you are going to use fingers one, two, and three. To play the 5th 6th and 7th fret.

When you get to the 3rd string. Use fingers one three and four. While playing those notes. Here’s where I would begin as a beginner. Learn these scales forward and backward.

Try practicing picking over the blues scale. If your into the blues here is a link how to play a blues song.


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Related Questions

Beginner Guitar Scale Printable

Learn the 5 note scale that every beginner guitarist needs to know. Whether your going to be playing electric, or an acoustic guitar. Pentatonic Scale is a Great place to start. Get the Pentatonic Scale Printable here.

Guitar Scales Practice

  1. First Practice the scales from the 6th string to the first string, and back up.
  2. Practice the Scales down and up the guitar neck.
  3. Then Use the Scale to practice picking the strings.

Guitar Scales Tab

Another “must know” Scale is the Blues scale. The blues has been around throughout the history of music. It is defiantly entwined in modern music. It can be found in Rock n Roll, Country, Blues songs. So it would be a great start as a beginner guitarist to learn the blues scale.

The Blues scale is very much like the Pentatonic scale with an additional note. This is the blues note. That one note gives you that bluesy sound when it’s played.

Like the other scales. You can move the Blues scale up and down the guitar neck. When you do it create a different key. So let’s say you are playing the first box pattern one of the Blues scale in the Key of A. Then you would start on the 5th fret of the 6th string.

Let’s take that same form of the Blues scale. Which is box one and play it in the Key of D. We can, but it needs to be moved up or down the neck. In this example you would need to find the key of D.

This can be found on the 10th fret. So you could play way up on the 10th fret. Which may be a little difficult depending on the type of guitar you are playing. The notes start over at the 12th fret. Here’s a link for 11 tips to learning guitar notes.

Click this link to get the Guitar Scales Tab of the Blues scale.


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