Blues Scale for Beginners


Published on 26 January 2016
For more information from the source site of this video please visit: http://secretguitarteacher.com/youtube/intermediate/blues/c_YQ0ipxxf4/83578515-blues-scale-for-beginners.php First position Blues Scale Pattern Learning the first position blues scale pattern is a great short cut to finding the right notes to use when you play a blues solo. This is the most commonly used blues key for the acoustic guitar. On the electric guitar, people more commonly start out learning in the Key of A. This is at fifth fret. We'll get on to that a little later in this video. But first let's take a look at the first position in E : The numbers on the diagram indicate fingering instruction using the all-important one-finger per fret rule. On the way up the scale read the diagram from left to right and work through each string one at a time from the open note (always the lowest note on a string) to the fingered notes in finger number order. On the way down, reverse the process working from right to left and playing the highest numbers first on each string. People vary in their ability to interpret scale diagrams and if you find yourself confused, don't worry you're in good company. You can always reduce the task down. Focus in on one string at a time: Then add the next string. Work up and down the bit of scale just on those two strings -- all good practice. Then add another string and work up and down the scale just on those three And so on... If you have found the diagram easy to learn from, this is a good exercise to work the fingers and ears together to really get to know your way round the pattern. Ok, now let's look at the first position in the key of A. In terms of fingering patterns this is the only other pattern you'll need to learn to master playing this position in any key. Unlike the first position in E which uses open strings, this is a fully movable position so it can be used at any fret, and whatever note you start it on, that will give you the key you're in. At a glance you can see that this pattern has the same shape as the one in E, the only difference is that we have to use all four fingers and no open strings.. So the next question is, once you have learnt these patterns -- what to do with them? Well, you can launch straight into trying to use them to improvise with, (use backing tracks in E and A ( from toolbox on the website) but actually most people are going to find that pretty frustrating. This is because until you can use them without thinking and until you can run around them smoothly and speedily you are unlikely to make the sort of sounds that will give you the sense of progress we want you to have from this!