Ron Blocks intructional DVD that you can get from John Lawless at Acu tab REALLY goes into scales and how Ron practices them then applies them to everything He's playing.. This is a VERY good dvd...

Wow! I just want to be able to play Cripple Creek.

quote:

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Originally posted by pearcemusic

getting scales (the sounds and the knowledge of) into your playing is the only point to studying scales.

scale study for me has a couple of different focal points.

1. simply being able to "visualize" major, minor, pentatonic(S), etc scales both horizontally and vertically across the fingerboard, while "hearing" the scale in my head.
I sometimes will "play" a scale in my head while facing the banjo ... "seeing" the notes on the fingerboard and "hearing" it in my head, while "knowing" the note names of the notes being played.
It works your brain a bit ... and "ear trains" you to instinctively be able to find the melodies you hear ...
I do it in all keys.

2. as you study different scalar sounds, you broaden your ability to hear all music and immediately KNOW what that scalar or harmonic sound is. You begin to recognize things that you previously might not have recognized.
This extends to chord types as well ... every type of scale has harmony that it implies, and you start to see the scales as harmony ... or chords/arpeggios.

i.e. a Cmajor scalar sound is
CDEFGABC, but breaks out into
CEGB Cmaj7
and DFA or Dmin ... so you begin to see that a Dmin chord stacked on top of a Cmaj7 is a fully extended Cmaj chord. That chord or arpeggio has a sound to it that is unique in music.
each mode of major
each mode of harmonic minor
each mode of melodic minor
... and many others ...
each has it's own unique flavor in music.
some are more usable than others.

scales are not the end, but the means to an end for me ...

on a side note ... the chart you linked has some fairly unusable fingerings for scales, but can be used as a primer for a scale shape. It can get you started.

recognition of scales has definitely helped my bluegrass playing ... as well as reading piano music ... understanding modern harmony ... modern jazz .... whatever ....

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Yeah, scales, play 'em like you mean 'em.  This is good stuff and practical advice.

I have used this begineers music theory site for my beginner guitar students but they are only aged from eight to ten but give it a try Good luck!

watch this  http://youtu.be/URnPeph4nqA

quote:Do you play the different scales in open G tuning?  Are there any other tunings you play them in?  I've been learning the scales in open G, however it doesn't seem applicable for clawhammer since the strings always resonate in G, clashing with whatever scale I'm playing in (if it's other than G)

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Originally posted by pearcemusic

getting scales (the sounds and the knowledge of) into your playing is the only point to studying scales.

scale study for me has a couple of different focal points.

1. simply being able to "visualize" major, minor, pentatonic(S), etc scales both horizontally and vertically across the fingerboard, while "hearing" the scale in my head.
I sometimes will "play" a scale in my head while facing the banjo ... "seeing" the notes on the fingerboard and "hearing" it in my head, while "knowing" the note names of the notes being played.
It works your brain a bit ... and "ear trains" you to instinctively be able to find the melodies you hear ...
I do it in all keys.

2. as you study different scalar sounds, you broaden your ability to hear all music and immediately KNOW what that scalar or harmonic sound is. You begin to recognize things that you previously might not have recognized.
This extends to chord types as well ... every type of scale has harmony that it implies, and you start to see the scales as harmony ... or chords/arpeggios.

i.e. a Cmajor scalar sound is
CDEFGABC, but breaks out into
CEGB Cmaj7
and DFA or Dmin ... so you begin to see that a Dmin chord stacked on top of a Cmaj7 is a fully extended Cmaj chord. That chord or arpeggio has a sound to it that is unique in music.
each mode of major
each mode of harmonic minor
each mode of melodic minor
... and many others ...
each has it's own unique flavor in music.
some are more usable than others.

scales are not the end, but the means to an end for me ...

on a side note ... the chart you linked has some fairly unusable fingerings for scales, but can be used as a primer for a scale shape. It can get you started.

recognition of scales has definitely helped my bluegrass playing ... as well as reading piano music ... understanding modern harmony ... modern jazz .... whatever ....

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