The Dreaded Scales!

Scales are an important part of any musicians development. They are useful for two main reasons - technique and music theory.

Technique

Scales can help develop good technique in both hands as they require you to have good coordination and for both hands to be in sync.

Scales can help us develop speed in our playing. Practicing them with a metronome and gradually speeding them up over time can be a great way of seeing improvements in your guitar playing.

Music Theory

Scales are the starting point to a solid music theory understanding. In western music theory almost everything can be related back to the major scale. That is our starting point.

Scales can be used for composition and improvisation.

Each scale has its own individual characterises and sound. For example if you are composing a melody and you want the music to sound dark and sad then you could use a minor scale or maybe you want the piece to sound happy and joyful you could you a major scale - having this knowledge gives you these options.

For improvisation a good knowledge of scales can give you options. Whether you are playing over one chord, a simple blues or fast jazz changes, knowing what scales to use and why can improve your improvisation skills.

Learn Chords and Scales together!

Putting a scale into context is one of the most important things you can do. Often there are chords that characterise the scale well and that is a great starting point to hearing what the 'sound' of the scale is.

A good way to practise this is to play the chord first and then play the scale. If you have a looper at home try looping the chord and then playing the scale over it.