hey johan i got a question for you. I know you like to play heavy metal and stuff and so do I. I just started learning scales can you tell me some good useful scales for rock/metal? thanx YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!


"life is hard......
BUT ITS EVEN HARDER IF YOUR STUPID!!!!!"
me

I Use:
A Harmonic Minor - For a more neoclassic sound, If I want more evil I try to use the D-tone as little as possible an the G# more than usual. But this is only when I am composing a riff.
A Minor - For a more rockish sound.
A Minor Pentatonic(or the Blues scale) - when I want to have this hard rock sound.

If I want more evil sound in the A Harmonic Minor scale I could raise the D into a D#.(Also only when I´m composing riffs)

A minor
E|--------------------------------7-8-10-12-|
B|-------------------------6-8-10-----------|
G|-------------------5-7-9------------------|
D|-------------5-7-9------------------------|
A|-------5-7-8------------------------------|
E|-5-7-8------------------------------------|

A Harmonic minor
E|--------------------------------7-8-10-12-|
B|-------------------------6-9-10-----------|
G|-------------------5-7-9------------------|
D|-------------6-7-9------------------------|
A|-------5-7-8------------------------------|
E|-5-7-8------------------------------------|

A Pentatonic minor(Blues)
E|-------------------------5-8-------|
B|---------------------5-8-----------|
G|---------------5-7(8)--------------|
D|-----------5-7---------------------|
A|-----5(6)7-------------------------|
E|-5-8-------------------------------|

Hope this helps in any way.


[This message has been edited by Johan (edited 08-15-2000).]

thanks for your help!!!

isn't A harmonic minor like this?

E---------------------------------7-8-10-]
B--------------------------6-8-10--------]
G--------------------5-7-9---------------]
D--------------5-7-9---------------------]
A--------5-7-8---------------------------]
E--5-7-8---------------------------------]

Or what about this one?

E----------------------------4-5-7-8-]
B------------------------5-6---------]
G------------------4-5-7-------------]
D--------------6-7-------------------]
A--------5-7-8-----------------------]
E--5-7-8-----------------------------]

The first one isn't harmonic minor, any harmonic minor scale has a natural 7th, the one you wrote out had a flatted 7th. The second one is the correct harmonic minor fingering, or rather one of many correct fingerings. I use a different one, its best to have as many as possible under your belt. Be able to play the major scales starting from your first, 2nd, 4th (3rd isn't too useful) fingers on the 5th and 6th strings. Do that with minor, and all the modes, if you can get it all down, then you know the fretborad and how notes connect so much better.

The first one is what johan posted. Is his right?

Look at his post, that one is labeled as A minor, as in natural minor, aeolian. It's not harmonic minor. Play them and you'll hear that they sound very different, harmonic minor has a much more exotic, arabian sound, especially when you focus on the fifth. The augmented second between the 6th and the 7th in the harmonic minor scale is what gives it it's interesting flavor. Learn the theory behind scale construction and it will make much more sense to you than just memorizing fingerings.