How to learn a scale

Do you think its better to learn a scale by patterns that can be reached by the hand in one position. or better to learn the whole scale in its all. ( http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/guitar/index_rb.html ) type in a key and mode or scale and you will know what i mean.

To answer your question. It's best to know all the positions of each scale on the fretboard. This is important when you want to move from one scale to another on the fretboard. If you playing a E major scale on the 14 fret position on the D string and you want to go to A major. Well if you only know the scale from the open A string position, you're going to be terribiably lost. You should know the scale from the 12 fret position on the A string as well. End of problem. Knowing the pattern is good, but being comfortable with that pattern anywhere on the fretboard is more useful. Here's some ways I use to master those scales on the fretbaord.

I generally say their are 3 ways to learn scales on the guitar. The first is the most common, which is the 3-note per string scale. Take A major:

e:--------------------------2-4-5--
b:--------------------2-3-5--------
g:--------------1-2-4--------------
d:--------0-2-4--------------------
a:--0-2-4--------------------------
e:---------------------------------

Also play these from different positions on the neck. Example: Start with the 5th fret on the low E, the 12th fret on the A string. etc. etc. You don't need to start from every A note on the guitar, just at least a low octave (open A string for A) and a high octave (12th fret on the A string for A), and the same note on a different string (Open A string and 5th fret on the low E string) if that's true.

The second is playing a scale on one string only, but play that scale on each on the strings on the guitar. I'll use C# major as an example.

e:-----------------------|---------------------
b:-----------------------|--2-4-6-7-9-11-13-14-
g:-----------------------|---------------------
d:-----------------------|---------------------
a:--4-6-8-9-11-13-15-16--|---------------------
e:-----------------------|---------------------

Also play it on the D string, E string, and G string. Remember lower root to highest root, so if your play A major on an A string, you start from the open A and go up to the 24th fret.

The last is by playing from the lowest root note to the highest root note on the fret board (12 fret range, it's too hard to do in a 24 fret range, so you just split it.). Here's E major: (/ - slide, very important cause it gets you familiar with going from one position to the next.)

e:-----------------------------------------9-11-12-
b:-------------------------------7-9-10/12---------
g:-------------------------6-8-9-------------------
d:-----------------4-5-7/9-------------------------
a:---------2-4-6/7---------------------------------
e:-0-2-4-5-----------------------------------------

Now you play it an octave higher like this.

e:----------------------------------------------------------21-23-24-
b:----------------------------------------------19-21-22/24----------
g:-------------------------------------18-20-21----------------------
d:-------------------------16-17-19/21-------------------------------
a:-------------14-16-18/19-------------------------------------------
e:-12-14-16/17-------------------------------------------------------

I know not every scale will work out this perfect, just go from the lowest to the highest root possible. If you learn the modes as well it will fill in the gaps, and plus practicing the other methods will also help too.

Notes: Remember to play them ascending as well as descending. Get yourself a metronome to keep track of your progress with each scale. And another good tip is to spend at least a couple of sessions singing the scale when you first start practicing it.

I know that I learned a scale one part at a time, but I guess that doesn't make it the best way.

1st off... Mr. Mistake, Killer effin site dude.. that's an awesome app - should prove to be VERY helpful.. thanks!

that being said on to the scale question. I don't know that my way is the best, or even correct for that matter but this is what I do....

when I start to learn a new scale I learn it in the one key and then move it up and down the fretboard. After that I do the sliding technique that the mistake man pointed out.. seems to work really well...
lastly, I find a jam track and try to use it to solo over something moving it around as much as possbile to kind of "burn" the sounds of each pattern into my head.

and just as an fyi - singing the scale as you play it - great idea and I find myself doing it quietly wheither I like it or not (I know the people around me would prefer I didn't!!! =) )

good luck!!!

iiholy - If that's your way, it's probably the best for you. As long as you keep learning. I think it is better to learn it one part at a time, rather than trying to grasp the whole bunch at once. :)

spanky - Thanx for the kind words man. :D I'm glad I helped you out. What you do sounds good to me, especially the jam tracks. That's a really good way to practice and learn how to use them when playing. Here's what I do.

When I was learning new scales, I started them off like you did. Learning them up and down the fretboard. But to take it a step farther cause learning a scale usually only takes some much time, and if you've been playing for years it's hard to take time playing all your scales plus doing all that for each scale. What I generally do is play all my scale with the same root, and change the root daily. So one day I'll play all the scales I know in C, then the next day maybe E. This will keep you from playing each scale from every root every day. Which undoubtively will take a long frickin time. By just rotating roots you will spend less time on scales (which should only be 15-20 minutes a day) and plus better learn what really matters when learning a scale. Which is it's tonality. That's how you always look at scales, by the sound you get from playing them. You could play a major scale from any root, and the "major sounding" effect is still the same. So the root isn't what your paying all that much attention to, it's the succession of notes in the scale and it's sound (tonality). So it's almost a waste of time to spend extra time playing the same scale just with different roots. Instead work on the tonality of each scale. And this is more apparent when all your scales are starting with the same root. The difference is much more clearer than if you were to do all of the scale 12 times each. That's just too much to grasp in one day, blah!

Also, try different ways of practicing your scales. This will help keep you from getting bored with the same routine and ultimately for better challenging yourself. The only way to get better. Here's 2 other ways to practice scales.

1. Try playing scale legato style. Legato style is playing with just hammer-ons and pull-offs. There are two really good benefits from this style. One is finger strength, because it requires you to use your fingers strenght to sound each note rather than a pick. This is the old way of strenghten your fingers, before the grip-master. Second is it can be hella difficult if your not used to this style. The ascending hammer-ons are quite easy, but the pull-off descending is somewhat challenging. It requires you to have your finger in position beforehand, rather than as you go.

2. Play all the notes in the scale as triads. Example, if you were playing an A major scale. You would play an A major chord, then B minor, then C# minor, and so on. This is great for theory knowledge cause it really gets you to understand the scale you are practicing beyond just it's finger pattern. You really learn the tonality in this exercise. *Note : make sure you look at how each scale is built with these type of chords. If you don't know how just ask me. Also, play these scales as broken arpeggios (broken arpeggios are just broken maj/min chords). Here's a tabbed example of A major.

e:-------------------------------------
b:-------------------------------------
g:-------------------------------------
d:------2-----4---2-6---4-7-and so on.-
a:--0-4---2-5---4-----5----------------
e:-------------------------------------

Play these as triplets with your metronome.

Point is always find ways to challenge yourself so you don't get bored with the endless routine of practicing scales. Latr

I've found with myself and students, is, less is easier to understand and "retain". Making it useful is more important.

The best jam tracks is simply turn on the radio. Don't be particular of the station. Talk radio can be fun if you're writing. (write the 1st paragraph of a newspaper story, and try not to make it boring or as disjointed as most 1st paragraphs)

I hate this excercise, but learn chord scales. You will be shocked as to how pentatonic they are and extremely enlightening. (maj7 to 7th triadic)(there's tons of info with this logic...and reasonably simple.)

Many of the items "notice" is saying are very important. Play any scale without a pick or fingers. You'll be markedly suprised at what the right hand does naturally. (if you're left handed...) After the left hand "gets it",
the right hand can be a bit,... more entertaining. Some work, nonetheless.