practicing scales?

hey guys,
just signed up a few days ago. ive been playing for quite a few years ago, but really got stuck on the same chords and using the same scales. ive started from tutorial 2 and have been really trying to make myself try new things. i wanted to know what the best way was to memorize and learn scales?what should i start with? how do i memorize the whole fret board?
thanks

I was playing for a year and a half (toughening up my fingers and learning chords and strumming and finger picking patterns) before I joined this site.

These are the lessons that helped me, and I believe will assist you.

In the lessons titled "Guitar Fundamentals 2", Section 3 is called Scales and Chords and Triads.
It starts very basic but then if you play along, you begin to see the pattern that the scales create. With a little practice each day you begin to remember them just like you remember the shapes of the chords.
I'm learning where to find the notes and scales and chords in a few different places along the neck.
Finish Section 3 and see if it doesn't help you out.

Good Luck

Practice makes perfect and we aren't there yet or we wouldn't be here now right?

Any tips for us non full access members? I know scales are important, but don't know how to go about practicing them or how I should be looking at them. Right now I just know the 2 basic movable patterns for the major scale. But I don't know what to do with that knowledge.

I first learned one Key all throughout the fretboard, Key of C. I practiced hours upon hours, it is ingrained into my brain. I could play around in that key in my sleep :p

Once I did that, I looked to the keys that were the most similar to Key of C; Key F & G. They both only have one note difference from Key of C. So since I knew Key of C by heart, it was really easy to get a hang of those two keys because I only had to alter one note from what I already knew.

On top of that, I learned that all the patterns I learned for Key of C, I could simply shift the patters on the fretboard up or down to get into a different key. A good visual example can be seen using this virtual fretboard:

http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/guitar_scales.php

Click and choose C Major. Then click onto C# Major, you will see that the patterns simply shifted up one fret. So in a sense, once you learn one key by heart, you'll know the rest.

How I learned the Key of C, was I memorized each box pattern:

http://www.i-love-guitar.com/images/guitar_scales_major_printable.gif

You can actually argue that each of those patterns is a mode. So, the mode patterns if you will. The first pattern displaying Phrygian, the second Lyidan, than Mixo, etc.

The second link you gave is something I've been hoping to find. Thanks
Next step is decoding it to find out how to read that haha

Originally Posted by: hunter1801Any tips for us non full access members? I know scales are important, but don't know how to go about practicing them or how I should be looking at them.[/quote]
The most important way of thinking about, visualizing, practicing & using scales is to visually connect scale degrees to sounds in your mind.

This is of paramount importance because of how most systems fail to do this. For example...
[QUOTE=Jarsew]A good visual example can be seen using this virtual fretboard:

http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/guitar_scales.php

http://www.i-love-guitar.com/images...r_printable.gif

Those are great resources! Wonderful tools.

But why are the dots and squares in those shapes? Why do they wiggle around the fretboard? Why is every scale a totally different & unique series of musical letters?

Until you turn those dots & the shapes they make into scale degrees, then connect those patterns to auditory information you understand & can recall automatically, you aren't seeing musical patterns.

Practicing scales in a very systematic method is very beneficial not only for dexterity but also for aural training. In particular, pedal point exercises can help you move scale degree retention from short term to long term memory & vastly improve your ability to identify relative pitch.

Is that how it is taught on this site in the full access section?

Originally Posted by: hunter1801The second link you gave is something I've been hoping to find. Thanks
Next step is decoding it to find out how to read that haha

Ha yea, its definitely all jumbled up. Look at the bottom of the neck on each pattern diagram, there is a reference number that tells you what fret it is. So the first diagram is open string (0 fret, i guess) through the 3rd fret. Next diagram is 1st fret through 5th fret. Next after that is 3rd through 7th fret, etc.

Originally Posted by: hunter1801Is that how it is taught on this site in the full access section?

That is how I personally teach scales in my tutorials.

Keep in mind that all music is played like this. All guitarists do this either implicitly or explicitly. When someone plays a certain pattern on the guitar, it's because they expect it to sound a certain way. To the degree they are competent & effective, all music teachers imply this idea. But, some teachers (me included) make this concept explicit.

The images on those sites are accurate; the patterns are correct. But they don't include the most important piece of infomation: the scale degrees.

I am not trying to make this a big tricky secret or mystery. The concept is simple but widely applicable. Look at this image:

http://www.i-love-guitar.com/images/guitar_scales_major_printable.gif

Now, look at the image I attached. See the difference? My image shows the scale degrees. That is what I focus on when teaching. Learn to see, play & hear the scale degrees & you are really playing, hearing & understanding musical intervals on the guitar. Not just patterns of dots with no explanation as to why the dots form the patterns they form, etc.

Thanks for the tips. Guess I need to brush up on my interval skills

Originally Posted by: hunter1801Thanks for the tips. Guess I need to brush up on my interval skills

You are welcome! Best of success with it. :)

Originally Posted by: CSchlegelNow, look at the image I attached. See the difference? My image shows the scale degrees. That is what I focus on when teaching. Learn to see, play & hear the scale degrees & you are really playing, hearing & understanding musical intervals on the guitar. Not just patterns of dots with no explanation as to why the dots form the patterns they form, etc.

Definitely a good point, being able to hear the intervals, or moreso, know the intervals your hearing is essential... something I need to work on myself.

On that note (pun intended!), here is a tool to help learn the intervals. Ive been playing with it for a few months:

http://trainear.com/

No worries, its not something you have to download, you can play with it right from the site.

The program will play two notes, one after another, and you have to guess how many intervals are in-between. What he does to help you understand them is use famous melodies as examples. Like the start of Over the Rainbow, the first two notes are 12 intervals apart, so an octave.

First two notes of the Simpsons theme is 6 intervals apart, sounding of the diminished chord.