Originally Posted by: ThorfinnFrisken
This might be simple to some, but I was trying to memorize scales NOT the patterns and it was not clicking. Now that I went thru the Intro to Music Theory lessons again in GF2 it really clicked. So the C Major scale I can do in my sleep but having problems do other Major scales, take the PATTERN, not the notes to move to another root note. (facepalm).
Great that things are making sense for you now... not really sure what you mean by "facepalm". Honestly, this may not be quite the revelation you think it is... Its sounds like you're saying that you've realized that the pattern you learned for the C major scale can be applied to other root notes, which will produce the major scale for whatever root note you have chosen, and some of the notes will be different from the C major scale. Is that right? And instead you were trying to apply the same notes as the C major scale to another root note, but that wasn't working for you?
If that's the case, then it sounds like you just went wrong somewhere along the way, and misunderstood how patterns are used when playing scales, but at least its clear to you now. There are only twelve different notes to choose from, which are repeated across the fretboard. This means that between any two different seven note scales, there will be at least two notes that are the same. Some "different" scales have the same notes... C major and A minor for example. So in this case, you'd be using the same notes in different patterns to play the two scales. But this gets into modes territory which you may not be ready for.
Just try to use logic when you're going through this stuff. If you've learned the pattern for C major, and now you want to play D major, you're not going to play the same notes as C major... otherwise all the major scales would be just one scale!
Big piece of advice with this stuff... don't just learn a scale pattern and then say "oh that's it, I've got it mastered.."... you need to apply it, actually use it in a song, solo, whatever. If you just learn the pattern and then never use it a musical context, it won't stick. When you start using this stuff in context, it tends to make much more sense! :)
