Major scale shapes.? whats the difference.

I notice people writing major scale differently. this confuses me. theres a 4 fret one that i think is normal, then i see some people writing a major scale across 5 frets why! if you goto looknohands.com they do it my way. whats the differnce, and why would you use 5 fret one. i like the 4 wish somoene could write out all the forms in 4 fret scale. i dont know how to play the modes..same fret? or extended down the neck board?

well - you can write a scale along ust one string if it pleases you - plus the scale starts over and over again on the next octave - so you can write it on like 100 strings if you wish.

Scales are learning tools. After you get good enough, you won't even need them! (they become cemented in your brain, and after a while, you'll understand how each tone and semi-tone reacts with each other, and this is when you first 'see' the music. I've 'seen' the music twice so far, one time at my former guitar teacher's house, and one time while jamming with my band during one of my 35 minute solos (I'm a lead guitarist in a Jam Band).

It's a rare phenomenon, but I think that every serious guitar player has had it happen at least once, usually it goes so fast that you don't even see it. One way i can describe it is when you lose control of your subconscience, you are no longer playing music, the music is playing you...

If you don't understand what that means, think about a time when you record something, and afterwards, you say to yourself "man, how did i record that???" or "was that what i was playing???"; That is when you lose all judgement....you just play, you know?

Back to the subject-

Don't learn the 4 notes per string or 3 or 5, learn all the notes per string, per scale; there's no reason to limit yourself.

~Incidents

One of great (and most terrible) things about the guitar -compared say to a piano- is that the same thing (chord/scale/pattern whatever) can be fingered/fretted in many different ways - but remeber there is never a right or wrong way!

Deciding how to finger a scale depends on what your doing at the time - the 4-fret version you talkng about is great for learning as it produces easily memorised 'boxes'. But when you want to exploring the neck more or are playing longer runs you may want to work with 3 or 4 note (or more) per string versions which are better suited to this.

If you like the 4-fret version (as you call it) get a neck diagram and write out all the forms yourself! It aint difficult and you'll appreciate what you're doing more. You may find several ways of fingering the same scale - decide which you like best.

I 1st learnt the modes by moving down the neck in 'boxes', but changing the starting fret and not changin position is just as valid. Learn both ways and eventually you'll start to connect the 'boxes'.

Originally posted by Incidents Happen
It's a rare phenomenon, but I think that every serious guitar player has had it happen at least once, usually it goes so fast that you don't even see it. One way i can describe it is when you lose control of your subconscience, you are no longer playing music, the music is playing you...

That's some deep stuff there Incidents, hopefully I'll come across it soon. :)