CHROMATIC SCALE
While the Chromatic Scale may seem unmusical at first listen, its uses are innumerable. We’ll first identify the basics of what the scale means by itself, and then learn ways to integrate it in various musical situations.
MAJOR SCALE
Understand the Major Scale and its seven lovely Modes. Once you learn these modes you will be able to play them in all 12 keys. We’ll also examine the Circle of Fifths and how to identify the amount of sharp or flat notes in a given key, and use that information to form any chord progression in any key you want.
MELODIC MINOR SCALE
The Melodic Minor Scale is your first step into the world of becoming a more advanced guitarist from a music theory perspective, because it challenges your ear to absorb sound in a way that is probably not familiar to you. With just one note differentiating the Melodic Minor Scale from the Major Scale, you'll expand your pallet of musical exploration exponentially.
HARMONIC MINOR SCALE
Harmonic minor is an essential scale that is used to outline minor chords in your solos when you want to bring a unique and ominous sound to your guitar playing. One of the three big scales in modern music, alongside major and melodic minor, harmonic minor is heard in jazz, fusion, metal, and other musical genres. Though you may use it less than Major Scale modes like Dorian or Aeolian, the Harmonic Minor Scale contains a cool color that spices up your minor key guitar solos.
BYZANTINE SCALE
The Byzantine Scale is the poster child for weird fingerings and weird position shapes. The cool thing about it is once you get some of these shapes down, it really influences how you use the scale because of the way the shapes are laid out and how they fall under your fingers on the fretboard.
JAPANESE SCALE
The Japanese Scale, otherwise known by other names such as the Kumoi Scale, is an extremely useful sound. The Japanese Scale will primarily work well over minor tonalities and minor chords so you can hear that minor sound. The less notes a scale has, the more fun it is to play in the initial stages, as you have less to memorize and can target the spots you like best quicker.
GYPSY SCALE
The Gypsy scale is somewhat synonymous with the legendary two-fingered guitar master Django Reinhardt. With only one note that separates it from the Harmonic Minor scale, this mysterious and exotic sounding scale will expand the realm of your otherwise more traditional sounding minor blues licks.
WHOLE TONE SCALE
The Whole Tone Scale is certainly not a scale to rely on for more than a few notes at a time, and works best when blended in with other scales to create an altered sound. From blues to jazz and even metal, the Whole Tone Scale can be a bridge between diatonic notes to create an eerily hip sound.
TIPS & EXTRAS
Intervals in music, essential foundations, deeper dives into theory, and much more to help you understand how to use various modal scales to your advantage.