Scales...


Pantallica1
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Pantallica1
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05/03/2003 1:43 pm
OK, I know a prety fair amount of scales, but just dont know the names. How do you guys keep track of all the scales you know. For instance this scale....

e|------------------------------5-7-8----
B|------------------------5-7-8----------
G|------------------5-7-8----------------
D|------------5-6-7----------------------
A|-------5-6-7---------------------------
E|-5-7-8---------------------------------

This one is very popular and is played on almost every Kirk Hammett solo and a few of Van Halen's songs are played on this as well.

And this one...?

e|------------------------------5-6-8----
B|------------------------5-6-8----------
G|------------------5-7-----------------
D|------------5-7-8----------------------
A|-------5-7-8---------------------------
E|---------------------------------------

Any help would be greatly appreciated and if anyone could point me in the right direction, that would be great too.

Thanks in advance :D
Sometimes I hit notes only dogs can hear.
# 1
noticingthemistake
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noticingthemistake
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05/03/2003 2:44 pm
The first one is pretty much a blues scale, with a added 7th and a 3rd missing. Depending on how you look at it cause the pattern of notes changes. The first run from octave to octave didn't have an F# in it, the second did. If I was to call it anything it would be a Blues scale with an added 7th, or a scale that modulates from one root to another, or even just chromatic.

The second one you wrote is a minor scale. You can check the tricks part of this page to find more scales and even learn a bit or two about them.
"My whole life is a dark room...ONE BIG DARK ROOM" - a.f.i.
# 2
Pantallica1
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Pantallica1
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05/04/2003 5:43 am
I knew the first one was a blues scale. Take the Van Halen song "Year to the Day" almost that whole song is played on that scale, at least the first 1:30 is. I have noticed that a lot of Kirk's solos are also done with this scale.

For example, the second scale I posted, the very end of the first solo on "Fade to Black" is this scale run just starting on the 12th fret.

Thanks for the info. I have read the tricks for scales on this site but a lot of them are just random and since I don't know the names of most of the scales I know, I can't really apply them. I'll keep trying though...
Sometimes I hit notes only dogs can hear.
# 3
Digit
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Digit
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05/04/2003 6:12 pm
> OK, I know a prety fair amount of scales, but just dont know the names.
> How do you guys keep track of all the scales you know.

I don't. I just learn a whole ton of em and get them to the point where I don't have to think about them anymore. Then when I come up with a lead, they come to me naturally. The only reason for learning names is so you can explain them to other people or understand what someone means when they say something like 'play an Ionian lead in C'.
When i'm coming up with a lead, I might use an Ionian lead in C, but I'm not thinking about what the name is or what the notes are, I just play it based on experience.
# 4
SLY
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SLY
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05/04/2003 8:58 pm
It can come naturaly , but if you analyzed your chord progression and checked all scales that can match , you'll have more versatility and new ideas to think about instead of just playing what comes from your mind ... Theory can be a source of inspiration sometimes.

Also nothing's wrong if you stick with what comes from your mind , everything's up to you.
# 5
Pantallica1
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Pantallica1
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05/05/2003 1:24 am
I understand the fretboard in terms of notes, meaning I can tell you what note you are playing if you're on the 8th fret on the g string. The only problem is I don't understand which scales to apply to a song that's in, say the key of C. Does that mean that the solo you play is always in C? Or does it mean you should start with C and end with C. I'm confused.

Let's use an example, say I play a chord progression G, D, E, what would you solo over? Would you start with playing in G, then switch to D, and end playing on E,or just solo in the key of G the whole time?

Hope everyone understands that.
Sometimes I hit notes only dogs can hear.
# 6
noticingthemistake
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noticingthemistake
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05/05/2003 4:48 am
Digit -

Your heading down the right direction. The names of the scales isn't important, it's the understanding and usage of them that counts. Like SLY said, there is alot to be learned from analyzing chords and scales. For example take a major scale and play it over a major chord. It sounds good because the scale is compatiable with a major chord. Move up in the understanding by taking a E minor 6 chord, now which scale works better over this chord?? Well, the melodic minor scale. Not the minor scale because the 6th in a minor 6 chord is natural. In a minor scale the 6th is flat. So it's less compatiable. The 6th in the melodic minor scale is natural. This understanding is very beneficial to a player, especially someone in your position cause it only helps with what comes natural. Don't think of a scale by it's name but by it's pattern and how it relates to a chord and/or chord progressions.

Pantallica -

Try not to think of it as "the right way" or "the wrong way". This may disappoint you but there is no correct way to play a (perfect)solo. You can play over a chord and/or chord progression in so many ways that the end result will leave you with chromatics. The key is to understand how each scale will effect a chord progression and what kind of sound you will get by using a certain scale. This can only be achieved by practicing scales over chords. It's just something you have to learn on your own. But to answer your question, you can do it either way. Play a scale over a chord progression or play a different scale over each chord in a chord progression or a mix of both. Just make sure to match the root and that the scales are compatiable with the chord(s). To check this all you do is look at a chord like a G major chord and see what notes make up that chord. G, B, E. Now any scale with the root G and the notes B and E within it will work. To check to see if a certain scale will work over an entire chord progression, just look to see if the scale contains the chords in the chord progression. (i.e. If you have a chord progression like D7 - Am - Gmaj, you should know that the G major scale will work cause all those chords are in the key of G major (G major scale).)

"My whole life is a dark room...ONE BIG DARK ROOM" - a.f.i.
# 7
Pantallica1
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Pantallica1
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05/05/2003 11:02 pm
That was really helpful. I understand what you mean now about the progressions. Thanks for everything. :)
Sometimes I hit notes only dogs can hear.
# 8
griphon2
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griphon2
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05/13/2003 12:08 am
there is no correct way to play a (perfect)solo.

So, so true. A good line with a lot to come out of it.
P R E T T Y Cool.
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# 9
noticingthemistake
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noticingthemistake
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05/13/2003 1:45 am
Yeah it helps relieve some stress on a beginner. Just play what you want to hear, you'll enjoy playing alot more than worrying about whether it's perfect or not. Something that sounds good to you might not sound good to another. It's the painful truth of everyone having different tastes. Make yourself happy with it first. That's the important thing.
"My whole life is a dark room...ONE BIG DARK ROOM" - a.f.i.
# 10

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