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Learn Guitar Scales & Scale Theory - See the Whole Picture

Welcome! I encourage you to learn guitar scales in a way that allows you to apply them to your own music.

Most guitar lesson sites show you a few scale patterns, but this knowledge is pretty useless without understanding how to apply these scales.

In the lessons below, you'll learn how to meaningfully connect scales to the music you're accompanying.

You'll find the more scales you learn, the more creative options you'll have when crafting that perfect guitar solo.

If you want to learn scales to develop your soloing ability, think of this section as the theory side of lead guitar, whereas the lead section on this site looks at the physical application of that theory. In other words, knowing your scales will allow you to apply the lead techniques you learn to their full potential.

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Featured Guitar Scales Lesson

Learn how to turn 3 scale patterns into 21 of the most commonly used scales in music using this time saving process...

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Learn Guitar Scales

FAQ  Do I Need to Learn Guitar Scales?  As you're already here, I assume you're interested in learning scales anyway! But if there's any doubt, this article will go through some of the benefits of spending time on them.

Guitar Scale Beginners  The very basics of what scales are and where they come from.

Pentatonic Scales  ...are very simple, just five tones, and used in all styles of music, so the perfect place to begin. This series will introduce you to the major, minor and other pentatonic scales, including lessons on combining minor and major pentatonic.

• Major Pentatonic
• Major Pentatonic Patterns (Guided Jam)
• Major Pentatonic Over IV Chord (Guided Jam)
• Making Scales Sound Musical (features major pentatonic)
• Major Pentatonic Over V chord (Guided Jam)

• Minor Pentatonic
• Minor Pentatonic Patterns (Coming Soon)
• Minor Pentatonic Chord Progressions

• Changing Pentatonic Scales in Minor Keys
• Minor 2 5 1 Alternative Pentatonics
• Using Minor & Major Pentatonic Together
• Pentatonic Scale Patterns
• Other Pentatonic Scales

The Major Scale  The major scale is the most referenced scale in western music. Knowledge of other scales comes easier when you know this scale, so make it a priority.

• Major Scale Basics
• Major Scale Positions
• Major Scale Patterns
• Basic Major Scale Exercises
• Major Scale Chord Progressions

Natural Minor Scale  A widely used scale in minor key progressions, natural minor is another staple guitar scale to learn. The lesson shows you its key tones, passing tones and how to use it over chords. Includes minor key backing tracks.

• Natural Minor Scale Basics
• Natural Minor Scale Positions
• Natural Minor Chord Progressions

Modes of the Major Scale  Series which looks at the modes of the major scale, from Ionian to Locrian (yes they have weird names - goes back a long way). Each lesson takes you through the individual "flavour" and characteristics of each mode, with jam tracks to help you experiment with your own ideas. Finally, we pull it all together and delve deeper into modal theory.

• Guitar Modes Intro
• Dorian
• Phrygian
• Lydian
• Mixolydian
• Locrian
• Mode Relationships
• Modal Chord Progressions

Blues Scales  Learn the scales used in blues soloing, building on the pentatonic foundations from above. See also:

• Mixolydian Blues
• Major Blues Scales

Harmonic Minor Scale  A slight alteration of the natural minor scale from earlier. In this series, we'll learn when harmonic minor is typically used along with the fingerings, patterns and all that good stuff.

• Harmonic Minor Scale Basics
• Harmonic Minor Positions
• Natural and Harmonic Minor Jam
• When to Play Harmonic Minor

Phrygian Dominant Scale  Sometimes called the Spanish Gypsy scale and a staple scale in flamenco and non-western musical traditions. However, it's become a favourite in rock and heavy metal and makes frequent appearences in "alternative" western genres.

• Phrygian Dominant Scale Basics
• Phrygian Dominant Scale Positions

Melodic Minor Scale  Melodic minor is a nice alternative to harmonic minor, being only one interval difference, and is used interchangeably as a result. It's important to understand how the natural 6th tone gives this scale its unique flavour over chords and progressions.

• Melodic Minor Scale Basics
• Melodic Minor Positions

Lydian Dominant  The 4th mode of melodic minor and a very reliable scale for soloing over those "outside" dominant 7th chords. It's also very easy to extract some beautiful harmony from this scale. A worthy addition to your repertoire.

Metal Scales  A look at the more exotic scales used commonly in heavy metal music with backing tracks to try out your own ideas. Although the focus is on heavy metal, these scales will work in other genres and contexts, so keep that in mind.

Jazz Scales  In depth library of commonly used scales in jazz music and the chords they work over. Like the metal scales lesson, the scales featured will work in other styles of music, but many of them have helped shape the distinctive sound of jazz.

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Guitar Scales Help

 Major and Minor Scale Basics  Answers the question "what makes a scale major or minor?". This lesson shows you how to identify a scale's intervals to determine whether it can be played over major or minor chords/progressions.

 Scale Patterns  Gives you a clear process for dominating the fretboard for any given scale. Follow this process for every scale you learn and the rewards will be immeasurable. See also...

• Hexatonic Scale Patterns - Learn how to break up the seven-tone major (or minor) scale into accessible and versatile six-tone patterns.
  

 Single String Scales  Learn how to apply scales across single strings in any key to give your solos more speed, fluidity and reach, from one end of the neck to the other.

Added Tone Arpeggios  Here we use arpeggios as our base and add related scale tones to create new phrasing pathways. Kind of like an arpeggio/scale hybrid.

Scale Exercises  Focuses on the physical side of scale navigation. Give your fingers the workout they need and develop your speed and timing with this series of exercises, including runs, intervals and string skipping.

• Scale Exercises and Runs
• Vertical Exercises
• String Skipping Exercises
• Interval Exercises 

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Guitar Scale Questions

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