How to Learn Guitar Scales

This is my 4 step guide on how to learn guitar scales.

Everyone has a different approach to learning scales and this is mine. It has worked extremely well for my students so it should for you as well.

First of all, the most important thing to remember is, when you are playing the scale, you will start on whatever the lowest root note is. This is extremely important because if you don't, you will be playing a completely different scale to what you are supposed to be playing.

Play the scale using alternate picking (down, up, down, up etc with the right hand), go all the way to the top of the scale and then play going all the way down to the lowest note of the scale and then finally back up to the root note. Doing it this way is essential as you want to train your ears to how the scale sounds. Remember, there may be 5 different positions of a scale, but they are all the same scale, just different ways of playing them.

Now, when it comes to actually applying scales the one thing you don't want to do is sound like you are playing scales. So frustratingly, we learn the scales going up and down and then spend the rest of our playing careers trying not to do that!!

Therefore, my step by step Scale learning process is maximising the actual application of scales and minimising the 'running up and down' of the scale.

So whenever you learn a scale, follow this pattern.

1. Up and Down

To begin with you have to learn the scale. Take each string at a time and get to a point where you can play all the way up, down and back to the root note without making mistakes. If you make a mistake you are going too fast so slow down. YOU DON'T WANT TO MAKE MISTAKES. It is much, much better to play it correctly and slowly than get it all wrong! Play the scale in 8th notes. That means that when you are counting 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4 for every 1 2 3 4, you are going to play 8 notes. The notes will sound 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & etc etc. Do this until you are playing up and down relatively fast and are not making mistakes.

2. Random Notes

This is where you try and lose the scale like playing. What you are going to do is, using a metronome and following the same 8th note playing, you are going to start playing random notes from the scale. Do big string skipping, stay on the same, do whatever you want but make sure that you are only playing notes from the scale so play at a realistic tempo.

3. Groups of 4

This is a classic way of learning to play scales. To do this, you have to think of the notes you are playing as numbers. The first note in the scale will be number 1 then it will go up from there. What you are going to do is play 4 notes and then play another 4 but starting a number higher. For example you will play 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 followed by 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 and then 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 etc. Keep going and then do the same going down. It's very tricky but it will show you just how much you have learned the scale going up and down and it is really good for breaking that. It will solidify the position knowledge you have.

4. Controlled Soloing

I have never heard of a teacher using this process before. I want to say it is exclusively mine but I am not going to do that as it is such a good way of learning scales, someone must have done it before! Basically what you are going to do is solo using the scale. If you have a backing track then use that. Otherwise put on a song that you know is in a certain key and jam along. If you can't do any of that then just noodle away by yourself. It will still work.

Anyway, before you get confused at me trying to claim soloing as exclusively mine! The idea behind controlled soloing is simple. You are going to solo but you are not going to do any tricks at all. No bending, no slides, no hammer ons etc. You are going to follow the 8th note rule where you cannot stop or adjust the timing. Don't just go up and down the scale you can jump to any notes you want or use combinations of notes (such as, repeated licks) but try and sound musical.

This phase isn't going to sound amazing as you are purposely limiting yourself to just one timing and no tricks but, you will learn the scale quicker than any other way I have ever seen. After you have done this and you know the scale like the back of your hand, you can then take off the limits and start creating proper music with the scales.

So that is my 4 step guide to learning scales.