Help with Scales

im just wondering what I need to do to improve my speed and my scales.. like the only scale I know is the penatonic minor scale and the G major scale, what else should I learn and practice all the time to improve all my scales / speed etc....

thanks

It really depends on what music you want to play. If you're into classic rock, pentatonic is probably enough. If you're into metal, you'll also want to learn the natural minor, harmonic minor, and phrygian scales. If you're into jazz, I don't have enough space to list the stuff you'd benefit from learning. I think the best thing to do is learn the theory behind scale construction, then you can figure out your own fingerings instead of learning them from someplace else, because you're more likely to forget if they are just fingerings to you and not notes. For improving speed, the key is to play slow. I know that sounds stupid, but people who play their scales as fast as they can are usually not playing them perfectly, and if you play without mistakes, it's a better way of improving speed in the long run, and its a better way of having technique that you can use. Who cares if you play really fast but sorta sloppy? A lot of people say this, but you really should take it to heart, find out what you think your fastest comfortable speed on the metornome is, then practice everything about 10 or more bpm slower than that, and you'll improve way faster. When learning something new, practice way slower.

start by thinkin that G major is also E minor, and A minor is also C major. if your minor root is A, then the c major box applys also (just one step and a half up from the 5th fret) this pattern works for all keys. there are more boxes that apply but one thing at a time. but try to remember that they all slide up and down the neck if you are in A minor and slide the key up one whole step to B minor, then all the boxes move and your major is now D major.

Originally posted by cent
im just wondering what I need to do to improve my speed and my scales.. like the only scale I know is the penatonic minor scale and the G major scale, what else should I learn and practice all the time to improve all my scales / speed etc....

thanks

well, there are a lot of ways to go about this and the responses that have been offered are great. all I could add is this: if you want to generate greater speed and are open to some unorthodox/exotic approaches, I have some rather unconventional approaches at my homepage. drop in and have a look if you're interested.

http://ShredLikeHell.com

Alot of musicians re rather intimidated by scales, because sometimes it can turn into such a competition when playing or listening to others. To generate speed, first make sure that you can play the scales (which ever one you desire) at a normal speed, set your mind and everything else should fall into place. Also to play much faster and much more smoothly, don't hold the pick so darn hard...stay loose. Ideally you'll want to practice as many scales as possible (major, minor, pentatonic, blues, modal, etc...) If you feel you arent getting anywhere, perhaps its best to keep a logbook so you can chart your progress from day to day.

-Joseph :)